Weakened Social Networks For Puerto Rican Mothers In U.S. Contribute To High Stress

April 13, 2001

University Park, Pa. -- Puerto Rican women living in the United States have significantly less social and emotional support at the time of childbirth than their peers in Puerto Rico, yet this does not adversely impact their infant's health, a Penn State study shows.

"This is true regardless of the mother's socioeconomic status, her age at the time of maternity, or the number of children she already has," says Dr. Nancy S. Landale, professor of sociology and demography.

Landale and Dr. R.S. Oropesa, Penn State associate professor of sociology and demography, measured social support in terms of how much time the mother lived with the baby's father; the number of close relatives within a traveling time of 30 minutes; and the woman's own assessment of the adequacy of the support she received.

"According to our data, 80 percent of Puerto Rican women living on the island lived with the baby's father throughout their pregnancy, compared to 70 percent of first-generation Puerto Rican-American women and 55 percent of U.S.-born Puerto Rican women," says Oropesa.

Puerto Rican women in Puerto Rico were also more likely to live close to their mothers and to have more relatives living nearby. Furthermore, they reported more emotional support and help with child care, chores and medical expenses than Puerto Rican mothers in the United States, the researchers note.

Landale and Oropesa, both research associates with Penn State's Population Research Institute, recently presented their findings in the paper, "Migration, Social Support and Perinatal Health: An Origin-Destination Analysis of Puerto Rican Women," at the Population Association of America conference in Washington, D.C. The paper is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

The Penn State researchers used data from their ongoing Puerto Rican Maternal and Infant Health Study (PRMIHS), which analyzes maternal and infant health outcomes among Puerto Ricans in the United States and Puerto Rico. The researchers' sample consisted of 1,841 Puerto Rican mothers of infants born in 1994 and 1995 in six U.S. states (Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania) and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The process of being uprooted and resettled does not occur without stress, as reflected in the much higher smoking rates among Puerto Rican women in the United States, according to the study. Only 4 percent of Puerto Rican women in Puerto Rico reported smoking during pregnancy, compared to 13 percent of women who emigrated to the United States and 16 percent of women born in the U.S. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for poor infant health.

However, Landale and Oropesa, faculty in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts, note, the risk of giving birth to an infant weighing under 1,500 grams, or 3.3 pounds, was significantly higher for Puerto Rican women in Puerto Rico than for Puerto Rican migrants to the United States. The timing of prenatal care and maternal weight gain during pregnancy are roughly equal between the two groups.

"As compensation for weaker social networks, pregnant Puerto Rican women may have access to information and assistance through channels that are independent of family and friends," Oropesa notes.

"Participation in the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program and other social programs may help these women engage in protective health practices and give birth to healthy babies, even when social support from other sources is lacking," the researchers add.

"While comparative research must be conducted to determine whether the findings of our study can be generalized beyond the Puerto Rican population, the study design we have used is clearly applicable to other ethnic groups," Landale adds. "A key feature of the study design is comparisons of the outcome of migrants to the United States with those of women remaining in their country of origin."

***pab***

Contacts:

Paul Blaum (814) 865-9481 (o) pab15@psu.edu

Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 (o)/ (814) 238-1221 (h) vfong@psu.edu

EDITORS: Dr. Landale is at (814) 863-7276 and landale@pop.psu.edu by e-mail; Dr. Oropesa is at (814) 865-1577 and at oropesa@pop.psu.edu by e-mail.