Examining racial/ethnic inequities in treatment participation among perinatal individuals with depression

Objective A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) of two interventions for addressing perinatal depression treatment in obstetric settings was conducted. This secondary analysis compared treatment referral and participation among Minoritized perinatal individuals compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Methods Among perinatal individuals with depression symptoms, we examined rates of treatment 1) referral (i.e., offered medications or referred to mental health clinician), 2) initiation (i.e., attended ≥1 mental health visit or reported prescribed antidepressant medication), and 3) sustainment (i.e., attended >1 mental health visit per study month or prescribed antidepressant medication at time of study interviews). We compared non-Hispanic white (NHW) (n = 149) vs. Minoritized perinatal individuals (Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latina, Pacific Islander, Native American, Multiracial, and white Hispanic/Latina n = 157). We calculated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for each outcome. Results Minoritized perinatal individuals across both interventions had significantly lower odds of treatment referral (aOR = 0.48;95% CI = 0.27–0.88) than their NHW counterparts. There were no statistically significant differences in the odds of treatment initiation (aOR = 0.64 95% CI:0.36–1.2) or sustainment (aOR = 0.54;95% CI = 0.28–1.1) by race/ethnicity. Conclusions Perinatal mental healthcare inequities are associated with disparities in treatment referrals. Interventions focusing on referral disparities across race and ethnicity are needed.