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Our Research Focus:
Our Research Focus:
Stressful situations that disrupt the maternal-infant bond (e.g.maternal depression, anxiety, stress) can be devastating to the health and welfare of offspring, and the Latinx population disproportionately experiences many of these factors. The Latinx population is one of the fastest growing populations in the US, and this population growth is driven by high birth rates. As mothers are essential to offspring well-being and survival, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to maternal mental health disparities, including biological indicators, in this vulnerable population. Thus, our long-term research objective is to use both behavioral and psychological measures to assess the impact of the prenatal environment (stress, discrimination, mood, neuroendocrine regulation, access to health care) on subsequent developmental trajectories of offspring related to the vulnerability of depression in the mother/child dyad.
Studies In Progress
Studies In Progress
Mood, Stress, and Healthcare Experiences
Mood, Stress, and Healthcare Experiences
Mood, Stress, and Healthcare Experiences is a study exploring how Latina mothers’ experiences with healthcare providers and the healthcare system influence perinatal mental health and stress biology. By examining the effects of discrimination, patient–provider interactions, and obstetric racism, the study integrates survey data and hair cortisol analysis to further understand how perinatal healthcare impacts mothers and their children.
This study is currently recruiting postpartum mothers. To learn more about the study click here. To join the study, please click here.
Role of Healthcare Experiences on the Physiological Response to Stress & Risk for Maternal Mental Health
Role of Healthcare Experiences on the Physiological Response to Stress & Risk for Maternal Mental Health
This study examines how experiences of obstetric racism and discrimination during pregnancy affect maternal stress biology and mental health outcomes. The research aims to identify pathways linking healthcare inequities to increased risk for perinatal depression and anxiety.
Multicultural Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative
Multicultural Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative
Collaboration with University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee & Medical College of Wisconsin
Collaboration with University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee & Medical College of Wisconsin
Multicultural Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative is a partnership that brings together researchers, clinicians, and community organizations to address perinatal mental health disparities among women of color in Milwaukee. The collaborative focuses on developing culturally responsive interventions, training healthcare providers, and fostering community-based solutions to support the mental health and well-being of birthing people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Developmental Origins of Emotional and Epigenetic Resilience Among Children of Mexican Descent
Developmental Origins of Emotional and Epigenetic Resilience Among Children of Mexican Descent
This study investigates how prenatal and early-life experiences shape emotional development and biological resilience in children of Mexican-descent families. The project builds off of a cohort followed since birth and integrates psychological, social, and epigenetic measures to understand how early stress and protective factors influence child outcomes. The study carries a goal of informing culturally responsive interventions that support long-term mental health and well-being.
Community Advisory Board &
Community Advisory Board &
Youth Advisory Board
Youth Advisory Board
Collaboration with St. Adalbert Church & University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Collaboration with St. Adalbert Church & University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
The Community Advisory Board & Youth Advisory Board are collaborative initiatives that bring researchers together with community members (CAB) and youth (YAB) to facilitate community interaction, build & foster close relationships, and to get a better gauge on what research is needed & how to best support the local community. The Community Advisory Board invites members of the community to collaborate on research projects by providing input and perspectives on studies. The Youth Advisory Board caters to Latino youth and builds off of research to provide programming that supports local youths' needs, including recreational events, art shows, and game nights.
Community Health Workers Program/
Community Health Workers Program/
Promotores de Salud -
Promotores de Salud -
Collaboration with St. Adalbert Church & University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Collaboration with St. Adalbert Church & University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Community Health Workers Program/Promotores de Salud is a collaborative initiative with St. Adalbert Church and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee that trains and supports community health workers to promote perinatal mental health and wellness in the local Latinx community. The program empowers trusted community members to provide culturally relevant education, connect families to resources, and reduce barriers to care, fostering resilience and healthier outcomes for mothers and families.
Completed Studies
Completed Studies
The Role of Healthcare Providers & Experiences in Perinatal Mental Health in Black Women
The Role of Healthcare Providers & Experiences in Perinatal Mental Health in Black Women
The Role of Healthcare Providers & Experiences in Perinatal Mental Health in Black Women is a study exploring how Black mothers’ experiences with healthcare providers affect mental health and child outcomes during pregnancy and postpartum in the Milwaukee area. The research focuses on the effects of obstetric racism, discrimination, and patient–provider interactions, combining psychological and social measures to identify factors that support resilience and improve culturally responsive perinatal care.
The MOMS Study
The MOMS Study
The MOMS Study is a longitudinal project examining how sociocultural stressors (discrimination, racism, neighborhood, acculturative stress) influence perinatal mental health and stress biology (cortisol, immune markers, epigenetics) among Mexican-descent mothers and their children in the Southern California area. The study integrates psychological, social, and biological measures to identify pathways of risk and resilience and inform culturally responsive care.
Select Publications
Select Publications
D'Anna-Hernandez, K., Deer, L. K., Aran, Ö., Rivera, K. M., Nevarez-Brewster, M., Doom, J. R., Hankin, B. L., Hoffman, M. C., & Davis, E. P. (2025). Experiences of discrimination during pregnancy predict altered neonatal hair cortisol at birth. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 178, 107482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107482
D'Anna-Hernandez, K., Lara-Cinisomo, S., & Non, A. (2023). Changes in mental health symptoms and sociocultural factors across the COVID-19 pandemic in mothers of Mexican descent. Archives of women's mental health, 26(5), 625–637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01345-w
D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L., Garcia, E., Coussons-Read, M., Laudenslager, M. L., & Ross, R. G. (2016). Sleep Moderates and Mediates the Relationship Between Acculturation and Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant Mexican-American Women. Maternal and child health journal, 20(2), 422–433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1840-9
D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L., Aleman, B., & Flores, A. M. (2015). Acculturative stress negatively impacts maternal depressive symptoms in Mexican-American women during pregnancy. Journal of affective disorders, 176, 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.01.036
D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L., Hoffman, M. C., Zerbe, G. O., Coussons-Read, M., Ross, R. G., & Laudenslager, M. L. (2012). Acculturation, maternal cortisol, and birth outcomes in women of Mexican descent. Psychosomatic medicine, 74(3), 296–304. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e318244fbde
D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L., Ross, R. G., Natvig, C. L., & Laudenslager, M. L. (2011). Hair cortisol levels as a retrospective marker of hypothalamic-pituitary axis activity throughout pregnancy: comparison to salivary cortisol. Physiology & behavior, 104(2), 348–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.02.041
Lara-Cinisomo, S., Mendy, M. E., Non, A. L., Avalos, J., Marquez, J., & D'Anna-Hernandez, K. (2024). Solutions From Mexican-Descent Perinatal Women To Pandemic-Related Food, Mental Health, And Health And Safety Stressors. Health affairs (Project Hope), 43(4), 573–581. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01492
Perez, C., & D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L. (2024). Effects of sociocultural stressors on maternal responsivity and the infant behavioral and neuroendocrine response to stress in families of Mexican descent. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 163, 106979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.106979
Osman, K. M., Lara-Cinisomo, S., & D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L. (2021). Associations between religiosity and perinatal anxiety symptoms among women of Mexican descent. Journal of affective disorders, 294, 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.066
Luis Sanchez, B. E., Urbina, E., & D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L. (2020). Sociocultural stressors across the perinatal period and risk for postpartum depressive symptoms in women of Mexican descent. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 26(1), 124–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000278
Preciado, A., & D'Anna-Hernandez, K. (2017). Acculturative stress is associated with trajectory of anxiety symptoms during pregnancy in Mexican-American women. Journal of anxiety disorders, 48, 28–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.10.005
Liu, S. R., D'Anna-Hernandez, K., Sandman, C. A., Davis, E. P., & Glynn, L. M. (2025). Discrimination and adverse birth outcomes among Latina women: The protective role of social support. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 31(2), 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000628
Rivera, K. M., D'Anna-Hernandez, K. L., Hankin, B. L., Davis, E. P., & Doom, J. R. (2024). Experience of discrimination reported during pregnancy and infant's emerging effortful control. Developmental psychobiology, 66(2), e22455. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22455
Lara-Cinisomo, S., D'Anna-Hernandez, K., & Non, A. L. (2021). Recommendations for Clinical Practice, Research, and Policy to Address the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Anxiety Symptoms in Immigrant and U.S.-Born Latina Mothers. Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, 31(4), 301–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2021.03.004
Aran, Ö., Nevarez-Brewster, M., D'Anna-Hernandez, K., Dmitrieva, J., Sandman, C. A., Glynn, L. M., & Davis, E. P. (2025). Associations between individual and structural level discrimination and psychological and physiological stress indicators during pregnancy. npj women's health, 3(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-025-00100-z
For more information, contact Dr. Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez at
For more information, contact Dr. Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez at
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