Documenting the daily efforts of African Americans to protect their community against highly oppressive conditions, this ground-breaking volume chronicles the unique experiences of black women that place them at higher risk for morbidity and mortality - especially during pregnancy. Stress and Resilience: The Social Context of Reproduction in Central Harlem examines the processes through which economic circumstances, environmental issues, and social conditions create situations that expose African American women to stress and chronic strain. Detailing the individual and community assets and strategies used to address these conditions, this volume provides a model methodology for translating research into public health and social action. Based on interactive community partnered research, Stress and Resilience: The Social Context of Reproduction in Central Harlem Facilitates more exact hypotheses about the relationship between risk factors, protective factors and reproductive health; Furnishes a better understanding of chronic disease patterns and suggests more effective interventions to reduce rates of infant mortality; Incorporates the voices of the community and of women themselves through their own words and actions; Sheds light on epidemiologic research and intervention protocols; Examines the social context in which reproductive behaviors are practiced; Provides a holistic framework in which to understand infant mortality; And more. Filling a large gap in the literature on the social context of reproduction this important monograph offers indispensable information for public health researchers, program planners, anthropologists, sociologists, urban planners, medical providers, policy makers, and private funders
CONTENT
1. Reproductive Health, Harlem, and Research -- Scenes in Harlem -- 1.1. Introduction -- 1.2. The Setting -- 1.3. Methodology -- 1.4. Community Participation -- 1.5. Stress and Reproduction -- 2. Where People Live: the Environmental Context of Reproduction -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. Environment as a Potential Source of Stress and Chronic Strain -- 2.3. Community Assets -- 2.4. Housing Conditions -- 2.5. Fighting Back: Coping with Housing-Induced Stress -- 2.6. Access to Social Services -- 3. Where People Work: the Economic Context of Reproduction -- 3.1. Introduction -- 3.2. Work Site Descriptions -- 3.3. Work Site-Related Stressors -- 3.4. Current Sources of Employment and Income Insecurity -- 3.5. Consequences of Employment and Income Insecurity -- 3.6. Race, Discrimination, and Work as Sources of Interrelated Stress -- 4. Social Support and Reproductive Health -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. Support Systems and Reproductive Health -- 4.3. Family, Marriage, and Female-Male Relationships -- 4.4. Pregnancy, Motherhood, and the Social Importance of Reproduction -- 5. Health Care Delivery and Reproductive Health -- 5.1. Pregnancy Intendedness and Recognition -- 5.2. Doctors, Patients, and Different Perceptions -- 5.3. between Engagement and Distrust -- 5.4. Explanations for Pregnancy Loss -- 6. Race, Class, Gender, and Health -- 6.1. Implications for Reproductive Health -- 6.2. The Sojourner Syndrome -- Appendix: Community Profile Charts -- References
