# Impacts of COVID-19 and racial discrimination on mental, physical, and psychophysiological health in Black pregnant and postpartum persons

> **NIH NIH R01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $333,200

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The COVID-19 pandemic is significantly impacting risk for adverse medical outcomes from SARS-CoV-2
infection and for adverse mental health outcomes associated with stress and trauma exposure, such as
depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data on large-scale crises show that stressful and
traumatic events like the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with elevated risk of both worsened and
emergent psychiatric disorders and co-morbid physical health conditions. Minority populations of low
socioeconomic status are disproportionately adversely affected by pandemics, which compound the adverse
effects of pre-existing high rates of trauma exposure and trauma-related adverse outcomes in these
populations. One group of individuals who is at disproportionately higher risk for adverse mental and physical
health outcomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are pregnant and postpartum Black persons. Importantly,
increased risk for adverse maternal health outcomes in Black persons may also be due to experiences of racial
discrimination. One biological mechanism that may confer risk for adverse health outcomes in the context of
COVID-19 and RD in pregnant Black persons is psychophysiological hyperarousal. Increased autonomic
responsivity to threatening stimuli has previously been linked to trauma/stress exposure, PTSD, and
heightened systemic inflammation, a significant risk factor for adverse mental and physical health outcomes in
pregnant and non-pregnant persons. Given these health disparities experienced by Black pregnant and
postpartum persons, understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and RD is critical for maternal
health, and that of offspring. The current study aims to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and
racial discrimination on mental health, pregnancy-associated morbidity and maternal mortality, and fear
psychophysiology during pregnancy and up to three months postpartum in Black persons. The data generated
from this timely research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial discrimination on mental and
physical health outcomes in Black pregnant and postpartum persons will advance our knowledge and inform
risk stratification approaches and mitigation strategies for understudied, vulnerable populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10393125
- **Project number:** 3R01MH115174-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Vasiliki Michopoulos
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $333,200
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-10 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10393125

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10393125, Impacts of COVID-19 and racial discrimination on mental, physical, and psychophysiological health in Black pregnant and postpartum persons (3R01MH115174-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10393125. Licensed CC0.

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