Risk Factors of Perinatal Depression in Latinx Birthing People Living in Rural Communities

Perinatal depression (PND) is one of the most common medical complications during pregnancy and postpartum. Birthing people of Latin American descent (Latinx) are disproportionately affected by PND. Whether Latinx birthing people in rural communities are at elevated risk of PND or have unique risk factors that contribute to PND has not been fully assessed. The purpose of this literature review is to 1) summarize the extant evidence of the risk factors for PND in Latinx birthing people living in rural communities; and to 2) develop a conceptual model for PND in this population to guide future research and interventions. A literature search was conducted in February 2022 in PubMed, using the following MeSH terms: “postpartum depression”, “risk factors”, “Latino”, “Latina”, and “Hispanic”. Out of the 456 screened articles, 41 articles were included in the full-text review, of which 8 were included in the final review. Findings from the literature review show that those with a higher risk of PND are unemployed, prefer Spanish as their primary language, have less education, have immigrated to the United States, have stressful family dynamics, and/or have a history of depression. Several limitations arise due to the insufficient amount of literature on PND among Latinx birthing people living in rural communities. Existing studies are further limited by small sample sizes and the absence of Spanish language instruments to assess PND. Further research should focus on conducting studies in this population to create culturally appropriate screening tools and interventions. Keywords: perinatal depression; mental health; Hispanic; risk factors; rural; health disparitiesBachelor of Scienc