Journal
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
Volume 21, Issue 3, Pages 137-148Publisher
PARTHENON PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.3109/01674820009075621
Keywords
stress; social support; coping; birth outcomes
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Using a multidimensional approach to measure stress, this study prospectively examined the influence of maternal stress, social support and coping styles on labor/delivery complications and infant birth weight Beginning in the third : month of pregnancy, stress was assessed monthly. In each trimester, data on social support, coping strategies, lifestyle behaviors and pregnancy progress were collected One month following delivery, information on labor, delivery and infant status was obtained. The final sample consisted of 80 women, The results demonstrated that women who experienced greater stress during pregnancy had a more difficult labor/delivery, even after controlling for parity. Younger maternal age was also linked with intrapartum complications. Perceived prenatal social support emerged as a predictor of infant birth weight. Women who reported less satisfaction with their social support in the second trimester gave birth to infants of lower birth weight. The results suggest an association between specific psychosocial variables and negative birth outcomes.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available