Maternal personality traits and risk of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Maternal personality may increase vulnerability to stress, which could lead to an unfavourable intrauterine environment to the fetus. We sought to investigate the impact of maternal personality traits on adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction in the mother-child cohort study (RHEA Study) in Crete, Greece 2007-2009. METHODS: Five hundred and eighty pregnant women participating in "Rhea" cohort study completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) at 28-32 weeks of gestation. Information on anthropometric measures at birth was obtained from the hospital delivery logs and medical records. Fetal growth restriction was based on a customized model, and multivariate logistic regression models were used adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: A per unit increase in the EPQ Neuroticism scale increased the risk for fetal weight growth restriction by 9% [odds ratio (OR)=1.09, 95 percent CI: 1.01, 1.19)], and for fetal head circumference growth restriction by 6% [OR=1.06, 95 percent CI: 1.01, 1.18] after adjusting for maternal age, education, origin, marital status, working status, pre-pregnancy BMI, delivery type, parity, smoking, and alcohol intake during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal neuroticism, which predisposes to negative mood, may be a risk factor for fetal growth restriction.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Women with high levels of neuroticism may report worse pregnancy outcomes.
“Thus, during pregnancy and after childbirth, women with high levels of neuroticism may report not only higher rates of depressive symptoms, but also worse pregnancy outcomes [57,58].”
From Exploring the Relationship between Neuroticism and Perinatal Depressive Symptoms: Findings from a 2-Year, Multicenter Study in Italy (2024) · cites this paper as [57]
Cites
Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.1.81 · Cited by 6,404 · see citing works
Influence of extraversion and neuroticism on subjective well-being: Happy and unhappy people
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1980) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.38.4.668 · Cited by 2,652 · cited 1× · see citing works
“neuroticism, that is considered as a stable and relatively enduring trait, with a strong genetic component [22,32], representing a tendency to experience distress frequently [7,13,27,40].”
BackgroundInfluence of extraversion and neuroticism on subjective well-being: Happy and unhappy people.
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1980) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.38.4.668 · Cited by 2,648 · see citing works
Public health significance of neuroticism
Lahey, B. B. (2009) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0015309 · Cited by 1,901 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Personality traits determine the appraisal of external stressors [23] and the nature, availability and efficiency of copying mechanisms [15], as well as the utilization of (personal and social) support systems [23].”
BackgroundPersonality and Individual Differences
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985) · doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-2413-3 · Cited by 1,893 · see citing works
Grote, N. K., Bridge, J. A., Gavin, A. R., Melville, J. L., Iyengar, S., & Katon, W. J. (2010) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.111 · Cited by 1,882 · see citing works
Personality and Individual Differences: A Natural Science Approach
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,848 · see citing works
Relationship of resilience to personality, coping, and psychiatric symptoms in young adults
Campbell‐Sills, L., Cohan, S. L., & Stein, M. B. (2005) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2005.05.001 · Cited by 1,287 · see citing works
Personality and Risk‐Taking: Common Bisocial Factors
Zuckerman, M., & Kuhlman, D. M. (2000) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/1467-6494.00124 · Cited by 1,260 · see citing works
The structure of interpersonal traits: Wiggins's circumplex and the five-factor model.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.56.4.586 · Cited by 888 · see citing works
Maternal Stress and Preterm Birth
Dole, N. (2003) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kwf176 · Cited by 848 · see citing works
The role of neuroticism in daily stress and coping.
Gunthert, K. C., Cohen, L. H., & Armeli, S. (1999) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.1087 · Cited by 670 · see citing works
The structure of interpersonal traits: Wiggins's circumplex and the five-factor model.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.56.4.586 · Cited by 638 · see citing works
A Population-Based Twin Study of the Relationship Between Neuroticism and Internalizing Disorders
Hettema, J. M., Neale, M. C., Myers, J., Prescott, C. A., & Kendler, K. S. (2006) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.5.857 · Cited by 633 · see citing works
Schottenfeld, D. (2002) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kwf028 · Cited by 624 · see citing works
Rondó, P. H. D. C., Ferreira, R., Nogueira, F., Ribeiro, M., Lobert, H., & Artes, R. (2003) · European Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601526 · Cited by 612 · see citing works
Prenatal depression effects on the fetus and newborn: a review
Field, T., Diego, M., & Hernandez-Reif, M. (2006) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.03.003 · Cited by 592 · see citing works
Teixeira, J. M. A., Fisk, N. M., & Glover, V. (1999) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.318.7177.153 · Cited by 526 · see citing works
McCrae, R. R., Costa, P. T., Terracciano, A., Parker, W. D., Mills, C. J., De Fruyt, F., & Mervielde, I. (2002) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1456 · Cited by 499 · see citing works
Psychosocial factors and pregnancy outcome: A review with emphasis on methodological issues
Paarlberg, K. M., Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M., Passchier, J., Dekker, G. A., & Van Geijn, H. P. (1995) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/0022-3999(95)00018-6 · Cited by 356 · see citing works
Role of Anxiety and Depression in the Onset of Spontaneous Preterm Labor
Dayan, J. (2002) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/155.4.293 · Cited by 323 · see citing works
Mols, F., & Denollet, J. (2010) · Health and Quality of Life Outcomes · doi:10.1186/1477-7525-8-9 · Cited by 287 · see citing works
Comorbid depression and anxiety effects on pregnancy and neonatal outcome
Field, T. M., Diego, M., Hernandez‐Reif, M., Figueiredo, B., Deeds, O., Ascencio, A., Schanberg, S. M., & Kuhn, C. M. (2009) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2009.10.004 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Personality and Risk of Physical Illness
Smith, T. W., & MacKenzie, J. J. (2006) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.2.022305.095257 · Cited by 281 · see citing works
Neuroticism as a risk factor for schizophrenia
van Os, J., & Jones, P. (2001) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291701004044 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Smith, G. C. S., Shah, I., Pell, J. P., Crossley, J. A., & Dobbie, R. (2006) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2005.074294 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Roelofs, J., Huibers, M. J. H., Peeters, F. P. M. L., Arntz, A. R., & van Os, J. (2008) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2008.10.002 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
Stress, anxiety, and birth outcomes: A critical review of the evidence.
Istvan, J. A. (1986) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.100.3.331 · Cited by 216 · see citing works
Krueger, R. F., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2000) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/1467-6494.00123 · Cited by 215 · cited 1× · see citing works
“neuroticism, that is considered as a stable and relatively enduring trait, with a strong genetic component [22,32], representing a tendency to experience distress frequently [7,13,27,40].”
BackgroundMetabolic Syndrome in Early Pregnancy and Risk of Preterm Birth
Chatzi, L., Plana, E., Daraki, V. N., Karakosta, P., Alegkakis, D., Tsatsanis, C., Kafatos, A., Koutis, A. D., & Kogevinas, M. (2009) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kwp211 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Self-citationChallis, J. R. G., Lye, S. J., Gibb, W., Whittle, W. L., Patel, F. A., & Alfaidy, N. (2001) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb03804.x · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Obstetric complications and anxiety during pregnancy: is there a relationship?
Johnson, R. C., & Slade, P. (2003) · Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.3109/01674820309042796 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Vardavas, C. I., Chatzi, L., Patelarou, E., Plana, E., Sarri, K. O., Kafatos, A., Koutis, A. D., & Kogevinas, M. (2009) · European Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1007/s00431-009-1107-9 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Self-citationDefinition of Fetal Growth Restriction According to Constitutional Growth Potential
MAMELLE, N., Cochet, V., & Claris, O. (2001) · Neonatology · doi:10.1159/000047157 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Life events, anxious depression and personality: a prospective and genetic study
Middeldorp, C. M., Cath, D. C., Beem, A. L., Willemsen, G. A. H. M., & Boomsma, D. I. (2008) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291708002985 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Correlations for Adolescent Resilience Scale with Big Five Personality Traits
Nakaya, M., Oshio, A., & Kaneko, H. (2006) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.2466/pr0.98.3.927-930 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Patterns of Alcohol Use Before and During Pregnancy and the Risk of Small-for-Gestational-Age Birth
Whitehead, N. S. (2003) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kwg201 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Jacobs, N., van Os, J., Derom, C. A., Thiery, E. W., Delespaul, P., & Wichers, M. (2010) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466510x491397 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Trait anxiety in pregnant women predicts offspring birth outcomes
Hosseini, S. M., Biglan, M. C. W., Larkby, C. A., Brooks, M. M., Gorin, M. B., & Day, N. L. (2009) · Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.2009.01065.x · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Psychometric properties of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) Short Scale in Greece
Αλεξόπουλος, Δ. Σ., & Kalaitzidis, I. (2004) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2003.12.005 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Canals, J., Esparó, G., & Fernandez-Ballart, J. D. (2002) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/s0191-8869(01)00149-0 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Vulnerability factors for common mental illnesses
Goldberg, D. P. (2001) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.178.40.s69 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Ploubidis, G. B., & Frangou, S. (2010) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2009.11.003 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Rothman, K. J., Huybrechts, K. F., & Murray, E. J. (2024) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197751541.001.0001 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
The Relationship of Maternal Personality Characteristics to Birth Outcomes and Infant Development
Schatz, D. G., Harder, D. W., Schatz, M. C., Harden, K., Chilingar, L. M., Fox, D., & Hoffman, C. C. (2000) · Birth · doi:10.1046/j.1523-536x.2000.00025.x · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Stress without distress: the intrauterine perspective
Clark, D. (1994) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(94)91275-0 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Impulsive aggressiveness of pregnant women affects the development of the fetal heart
Koelsch, S., Wiebigke, C., Siebel, W. A., & Stepan, H. (2009) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2009.09.008 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Koutra, K., Chatzi, L., Bagkeris, M., Vassilaki, M., Bitsios, P., & Kogevinas, M. (2013) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-012-0636-0 · Cited by 224 · see citing works
Self-citationCohort Profile: The Mother-Child Cohort in Crete, Greece (Rhea Study)
Chatzi, L., Leventakou, V., Vafeiadi, M., Koutra, K., Roumeliotaki, T., Chalkiadaki, G., Karachaliou, M., Daraki, V. N., Kyriklaki, A., Kampouri, M., et al. (2017) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyx084 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Self-citationKoutra, K., Roumeliotaki, T., Kyriklaki, A., Kampouri, M., Sarri, K. O., Vassilaki, M. E., Bitsios, P., Kogevinas, M., & Chatzi, L. (2017) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.002 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Self-citationA Potential Role for Allostatic Load in Preeclampsia
Hux, V. J., & Roberts, J. M. (2014) · Maternal and Child Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10995-014-1543-7 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Preoperative physical optimization in fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty.
Hansen, T. B., Bredtoft, H. K., & Larsen, K. (2012) · PubMed · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Personality, preterm labor contractions, and psychological consequences
Handelzalts, J. E., Krissi, H., Levy, S., Freund, Y., Carmiel, N., Ashwal, E., & Peled, Y. (2016) · Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics · doi:10.1007/s00404-015-3898-4 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Koubaa, S., Hällström, T., Brismar, K., Hellström, P. M., & Hirschberg, A. L. (2015) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-015-0741-7 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Personality and adolescent pregnancy outcomes
Harville, E. W., Madkour, A. S., & Xie, Y. (2014) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/jan.12481 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Xiang, M., Zhang, Z.-R., & Liang, H.-G. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.086 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Severo, M., Petito, A., Ventriglio, A., Iuso, S., Ianzano, G., Marconcini, A., Giannaccari, E., Palma, G. L., Altamura, M., Sorrentino, F., et al. (2024) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci14040366 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Thus, during pregnancy and after childbirth, women with high levels of neuroticism may report not only higher rates of depressive symptoms, but also worse pregnancy outcomes [57,58].”
BackgroundKoutra, K., Mouatsou, C., Margetaki, K., Roumeliotaki, T., Mavroeides, G., Psoma, S., Kampouri, M., Karachaliou, M., Kogevinas, M., & Chatzi, L. (2025) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-025-02746-1 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationParvizi, S., Yazdanpanahi, Z., Rahmanian, F., Tayebi, N., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2024) · Medicina Clínica Práctica · doi:10.1016/j.mcpsp.2024.100468 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Investigating the association between neuroticism and adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes
Axfors, C., Eckerdal, P., Volgsten, H., Wikström, A., Ekselius, L., Ramklint, M., Poromaa, I. S., & Skalkidou, A. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-51861-y · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Parvizi, S., Yazdanpanahi, Z., Rahmanian, F., Tayebi, N., & Akbarzadeh, M. (2023) · Medicina Clínica Práctica · doi:10.1016/j.mcpsp.2023.100397 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
The Role of Stress in Racial Disparities of Preterm and Low Birth Weight Births in Georgia
Sharapova, S. R. (2022) · Digital Archive @ GSU · doi:10.57709/3526672 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Carbone, M. G., Polizzi, C., Pasqua, M. M. D., Morales, M. R., Perricone, G., Cucinella, G., Sutera, R., Burgio, S., & Giordano, G. (2025) · CNS Spectrums · doi:10.1017/s1092852925100436 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Akbağ, N. N. A., & Şanlı, Y. (2026) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-026-08878-9 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Further Direction of Research and Policy Making of Environment and Children’s Health
Kishi, R., & Araki, A. (2019) · Current topics in environmental health and preventive medicine · doi:10.1007/978-981-15-0520-1_22 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Kişilik Özelliklerinin Gebelik Semptomları ve Sağlık Arama Davranışı ile İlişkisi
Hazar, S., Nacar, G., Timur, S., & SİNEN, R. (2024) · Bingöl Üniversitesi Sağlık Dergisi · doi:10.58605/bingolsaglik.1454935
- Authors
- Chatzi, L., Koutra, K., Vassilaki, M., Vardiampasis, A., Georgiou, V., Koutis, A., Lionis, C., Bitsios, P., & Kogevinas, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Crete (GR)
- Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Chatzi, L.
- Venue
- European Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2012-04-24
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 213-218
- ISSN
- 0924-9338 (ISSN-L)
- 1778-3585
- OpenAlex
- W2071135773
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
- Keywords
- maternal personality, neuroticism, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, fetal head circumference, fetal weight, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, maternal stress, adverse birth outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Birth Weight, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Maternal Age, Mothers, Personality, Personality Inventory, Pregnancy, Risk, Premature Birth
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
