Maternal psychological stress and distress as predictors of low birth weight, prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation

• Published in: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003-02, Vol.57 (2), p.266-272
• Main Authors: Rondó, P H C, Ferreira, R F, Nogueira, F, Ribeiro, M C N, Lobert, H, Artes, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Birth defects; Birth weight; Birth weight, Low; Causes of; Childbirth & labor; Clinical Nutrition; Coffee; Coffee - adverse effects; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Female; Fetal Growth Retardation - psychology; Fetus; Gestational age; Growth rate; Growth retardation; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight - psychology; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature - psychology; Influence; Internal Medicine; Longitudinal Studies; Low birth weight; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Mothers - psychology; original-communication; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Pregnant women; Premature birth; Prenatal influences; Prospective Studies; Psychological aspects; Psychological stress; Public Health; Regression Analysis; Regression models; Risk Factors; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Stress; Stress (Psychology); Stress, Psychological - psychology; Well being
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5381; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601526

Objectives : To evaluate: (1) the associations between maternal psychological stress, distress and low birth weight (LBW), prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR); (2) the interactions between maternal stress, distress and smoking, alcohol and coffee intake; (3) the prevalences of stress and distress in pregnancy. Design : Longitudinal cohort study. Setting : Jundiaí city, São Paulo state, Brazil. Subjects : A total of 865 pregnant women who attended antenatal care between September 1997 and August 2000. Methods : Measures of stress and distress were obtained, by interview, three times in pregnancy: at a gestational age (GA) lower than 16 weeks, from 20 to 26 weeks and from 30 to 36 weeks. Stress was investigated by the perceived stress scale, PSS, and distress by both the general health questionnaire, GHQ, and the State Trait Anxiety inventories, STAI. The outcomes were: LBW (birth weight