Cedars-Sinai Leads Mental Health Study to Help Black Pregnant Women

Although Black women are twice as likely as white women to develop perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), such as postpartum depression, they’re less likely to seek mental health treatment.

“Black patients report racial discrimination in medical settings and worse communication with white doctors, which may be why they’re also more likely to decline therapy or medication,” said Eynav Accortt, PhD, director of the Reproductive Psychology Program at Cedars-Sinai.

That’s why Cedars-Sinai has teamed up with two community partners, Candlelit Care and Maternal Mental Health Now, to launch a new study to see whether the use of a mobile health app can improve psychological symptoms and birth outcomes for pregnant Black women and limit their experiences of discrimination in medical settings. The Resources, Inspiration, Support, Empowerment (RISE) for Black Maternal Mental Health trial, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, aims to recruit 150 pregnant Black women throughout the United States to participate.

Accortt and her team—which includes Kimberly Gregory, MD, MPH, who holds the Helping Hand of Los Angeles—The Miriam Jacobs Chair in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and is director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, and reproductive psychiatrist Olusinmi Bamgbose, MD—are hoping people will consider participating in the study.

“The reality is that the standard of care in this country results in women receiving little or no education or support around their mental health in pregnancy,” Accortt said. “This is a real gap in care we need to bridge. We have a group of individuals who are at higher risk for PMADs but also much less likely to initiate care. We need to identify these patients, refer them to help and follow up to ensure they’re gaining self-efficacy and the professional help they need.”

Black individuals who are age 18 or older, 12-32 weeks pregnant, and live in the U.S. are eligible to participate. Participants will be asked to engage with a mobile web application during pregnancy and complete three online surveys (one during pregnancy and two postpartum), and they will be given an option to provide a small amount of blood during and after pregnancy. Compensation is provided.