Pattern of perceived stress and anxiety in pregnancy predicts preterm birth
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the pattern of prenatal stress, as compared to prenatal stress assessed at a single gestational time point, predicts preterm delivery (PTD). DESIGN: Perceived stress and anxiety were assessed in 415 pregnant women at 18-20 and 30-32 weeks' gestation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gestational length was determined by last menstrual period and confirmed by early pregnancy ultrasound. Births were categorized as preterm (< 37 weeks) or term. RESULTS: At neither assessment did levels of anxiety or perceived stress predict PTD. However, patterns of anxiety and stress were associated with gestational length. Although the majority of women who delivered at term exhibited declines in stress and anxiety, those who delivered preterm exhibited increases. The elevated risk for PTD associated with an increase in stress or anxiety persisted when adjusting statistically for obstetric risk, pregnancy-related anxiety, ethnicity, parity, and prenatal life events. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the pattern of prenatal stress is an important predictor of PTD. More generally, the findings support the possibility that a decline in stress responses during pregnancy may help to protect mother and fetus from adverse influences associated with PTD.
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?
The 10-item pregnancy anxiety scale is reliable (α=0.75-0.85) and was developed specifically for pregnancy research.
“This reliable measure (α=0.75-0.85) was specifically developed for use in pregnancy research (Rini et al., 1999; Glynn et al., 2008).”
From High pregnancy anxiety during mid-gestation is associated with decreased gray matter density in 6-9-year-old children. (2010) · cites this paper as Glynn et al., 2008
Cites
A Global Measure of Perceived Stress
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2136404 · Cited by 32,807 · see citing works
“Stress: appraisal and coping,”
Folkman, S. (2013) · Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_215 · Cited by 27,833 · see citing works
(1988) · Cited by 4,111 · see citing works
Intrauterine infection and preterm delivery
Goldenberg, R. L., Hauth, J. C., & Andrews, W. W. (2000) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200005183422007 · Cited by 2,548 · see citing works
Cognitive and Behavioral Outcomes of School-Aged Children Who Were Born Preterm: A Meta-analysis
Bhutta, A. T., Cleves, M. A., Casey, P. H., Cradock, M. M., & Anand, K. J. S. (2002) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.288.6.728 · Cited by 2,392 · see citing works
Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention
Outcomes, A. H., Behrman, R. E., & Butler, A. S. (2007) · Cited by 1,581 · see citing works
Perinatal outcomes in singletons following in vitro fertilization: a meta–analysis
Jackson, R. A., Gibson, K. A., Wu, Y. W., & Croughan, M. S. (2004) · Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.1097/01.aog.0000114989.84822.51 · Cited by 1,160 · see citing works
Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B. E., Sutton, P. D., Ventura, S. J., Menacker, F., & Munson, M. L. (2003) · PubMed · Cited by 907 · 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
Copper, R. L., Goldenberg, R. L., Das, A., Elder, N., Swain, M., Norman, G., Ramsey, R., Cotroneo, P., Collins, B. A., Johnson, F., et al. (1996) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/s0002-9378(96)70042-x · Cited by 683 · see citing works
Rini, C. K., Dunkel-Schetter, C., Wadhwa, P. D., & Sandman, C. A. (1999) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.18.4.333 · Cited by 667 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Social Psychology of Health.
Gold, D. T., Spacapan, S., & Oskamp, S. (1990) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2073512 · Cited by 644 · see citing works
When stress happens matters: Effects of earthquake timing on stress responsivity in pregnancy
Glynn, L. M., Wadhwa, P. D., Dunkel-Schetter, C., Chicz-DeMet, A., & Sandman, C. A. (2001) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1067/mob.2001.111066 · Cited by 508 · see citing works
Self-citationPsychological distress in pregnancy and preterm delivery.
Hedegaard, M., Henriksen, T. B., Sabroe, S., & Secher, N. J. (1993) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6898.234 · Cited by 442 · see citing works
Physiological stress reactivity in human pregnancy—a review
de Weerth, C., & Buitelaar, J. K. (2004) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2004.10.005 · Cited by 399 · see citing works
Lobel, M., Dunkel‐Schetter, C., & Scrimshaw, S. C. M. (1992) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037//0278-6133.11.1.32 · Cited by 393 · see citing works
Socio‐economic disparities in preterm birth: causal pathways and mechanisms
Kramer, M. S., Goulet, L., Lydon, J. E., Séguin, L., McNamara, H., Dassa, C., Platt, R. W., Chen, M. F., Gauthier, H., Genest, J. J., et al. (2001) · Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology · doi:10.1046/j.1365-3016.2001.00012.x · Cited by 369 · see citing works
Neumann, I. D., Johnstone, H. A., Hatzinger, M., Liebsch, G., Shipston, M. J., Russell, J. A., Landgraf, R., & Douglas, A. J. (1998) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7793.1998.289br.x · Cited by 365 · 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
Peptide Signaling in Human Placenta and Membranes: Autocrine, Paracrine, and Endocrine Mechanisms*
Petraglia, F., Florio, P., Nappi, C., & GENAZZANI, A. R. (1996) · Endocrine Reviews · doi:10.1210/edrv-17-2-156 · Cited by 350 · see citing works
The Role of Rumination in Recovery from Reactivity: Cardiovascular Consequences of Emotional States
Glynn, L. M. (2002) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000031574.42041.23 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Self-citationAnnual Summary of Vital Statistics—2003
Martin, J. A., Kochanek, K. D., Strobino, D. M., Guyer, B., & MacDorman, M. F. (2005) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2004-2695 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
Conceptualizations, measurement, and effects of prenatal maternal stress on birth outcomes
Lobel, M. (1994) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/bf01857952 · Cited by 256 · see citing works
Growth impairment in the very preterm and cognitive and motor performance at 7 years
Cooke, R. W. I. (2003) · Archives of Disease in Childhood · doi:10.1136/adc.88.6.482 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Racial and ethnic disparities in preterm birth: The role of stressful life events
Lu, M. C., & Chen, B. C. (2004) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2004.04.018 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
Lederman, S. A., Rauh, V., Weiss, L., Stein, J. L., Hoepner, L. A., Becker, M., & Perera, F. P. (2004) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.7348 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Pregnant women become insensitive to cold stress
Kammerer, M. H., Adams, D., von Castelberg, B., & Glover, V. A. S. (2002) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/1471-2393-2-8 · Cited by 201 · see citing works
SCHULTE, H. M., WEISNER, D., & ALLOLIO, B. (1990) · Clinical Endocrinology · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.1990.tb00470.x · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Infant mortality statistics from the 2002 period: linked birth/infant death data set.
Mathews, T. J., Menacker, F., & MacDorman, M. F. (2004) · PubMed · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Effect of age, parity, and smoking on pregnancy outcome: A population-based study
Cnattingius, S., Forman, M. R., Berendes, H. W., Graubard, B. I., & Isotalo, L. (1993) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/s0002-9378(12)90878-9 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Challis, 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
Wartella, J. E., Amory, E., Macbeth, A. H., McNamara, I. M., Stevens, L. F., Lambert, K. G., & Kinsley, C. H. (2003) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00150-1 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Pregnancy affects appraisal of negative life events
Glynn, L. M., Schetter, C. D., Wadhwa, P. D., & Sandman, C. A. (2004) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(03)00133-8 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Self-citationSocio-economic and psychosocial factors in the management and prevention of preterm labour
Moutquin, J. (2003) · BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · doi:10.1046/j.1471-0528.2003.00031.x · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Kinsley, C. H., & Lambert, K. G. (2006) · Scientific American · doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0106-72 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Pregnancy Alters Blood Pressure Responses to Psychological and Physical Challenge
Matthews, K. A., & Rodin, J. (1992) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/j.1469-8986.1992.tb01691.x · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Pregnancy outcome and intelligence at age five years
Goldenberg, R. L., DuBard, M. B., Cliver, S., Nelson, K. G., Blanksona, K., Ramey, S. L., & HERMAN, A. A. B. (1996) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/s0002-9378(96)70099-6 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Psychosocial Predictors of Prenatal Anxiety
Gurung, R. A. R., Dunkel‐Schetter, C., Collins, N. L., Rini, C. K., & Hobel, C. J. (2005) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2005.24.4.497 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Self-citationPsychosocial stress as a cause of infertility
Wasser, S. K., Sewall, G., & Soules, M. R. (1993) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)55824-5 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Smoking and Pregnancy Outcome among African-American and White Women in Central North Carolina
Savitz, D. A., Dole, N., Terry, J. W., Zhou, H., & Thorp, J. M. (2001) · Epidemiology · doi:10.1097/00001648-200111000-00010 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Perinatal medicine : management of the high risk fetus and neonate
Bolognese, R. J., & Schwarz, R. H. (1977) · Williams & Wilkins eBooks · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Anxiety and maternal aggression in house mice (Mus musculus): A look at interindividual variability.
Maestripieri, D., & D'Amato, F. R. (1991) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.105.3.295 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Nisell, H., Hjemdahl, P., Linde, B., & Lunell, N. O. (1985) · BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.1985.tb01455.x · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Maternal psychophysiological change during the second half of gestation
DiPietro, J. A., Costigan, K. A., & Gurewitsch, E. D. (2005) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2004.11.003 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
O'Hare, T., & Creed, F. H. (1995) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.167.6.799 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Pregnancy is associated with low fear reactions in ewes
Viérin, M., & Bouissou, M. F. (2001) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0031-9384(01)00416-4 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Temperament in preterm and full-term infants at three and six months of age.
Gennaro, S. (1990) · Merrill-palmer Quarterly · Cited by 37 · see citing works
The Development of Communication in Preterm Infant-Mother Dyads
van Beek, Y., Hopkins, B., & Hoeksma, J. B. (1994) · Behaviour · doi:10.1163/156853994x00343 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
A simple method for converting an odds ratio to effect size for use in meta-analysis
Chinn, S. (2000) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/1097-0258(20001130)19:22
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Staneva, A., Bogossian, F., Pritchard, M., & Wittkowski, A. (2015) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2015.02.003 · Cited by 703 · see citing works
The Contribution of Maternal Stress to Preterm Birth: Issues and Considerations
Wadhwa, P. D., Entringer, S., Buss, C., & Lu, M. C. (2011) · Clinics in Perinatology · doi:10.1016/j.clp.2011.06.007 · Cited by 486 · see citing works
Prenatal maternal stress programs infant stress regulation
Davis, E. P., Glynn, L. M., Waffarn, F., & Sandman, C. A. (2011) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02314.x · Cited by 472 · see citing works
Self-citationBuss, C., Davis, E. P., Muftuler, L. T., Head, K., & Sandman, C. A. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.07.010 · Cited by 435 · see citing works
Self-citationEffects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development: mechanisms and pathways
Coussons-Read, M. E. (2013) · Obstetric Medicine · doi:10.1177/1753495x12473751 · Cited by 422 · see citing works
Pregnancy as a period of risk, adaptation, and resilience for mothers and infants
Davis, E. P., & Narayan, A. J. (2020) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579420001121 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
“Moreover, women who do not show the normative decrease in physiological and psychological stress responding during pregnancy are at increased risk for preterm delivery (Buss, Entringer, et al., 2009; Glynn, Dunkel Schetter, Hobel, & Sandman, 2008).”
Poor Sleep Quality is Associated with Preterm Birth
Okun, M. L., Schetter, C. D., & Glynn, L. M. (2011) · Sleep · doi:10.5665/sleep.1384 · Cited by 256 · see citing works
Self-citationMindfulness-based interventions during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Dhillon, A., Sparkes, E., & Duarte, R. V. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0726-x · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Prenatal maternal anxiety and early childhood temperament
Blair, M. M., Glynn, L. M., Sandman, C. A., & Davis, E. P. (2011) · Stress · doi:10.3109/10253890.2011.594121 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Self-citationShi, Z., & MacBeth, A. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0673-y · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Giving birth to a new brain: hormone exposures of pregnancy influence human memory
Glynn, L. M. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.01.015 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Self-citationCalderon-Margalit, R., Qiu, C., Ornoy, A., Siscovick, D. S., & Williams, M. A. (2009) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2009.06.061 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Factor structure of the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire
Alderdice, F., & Lynn, F. (2011) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2010.05.003 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
No Longer Pregnant, Not Yet a Mother: Giving Birth Prematurely to a Very-Low-Birth-Weight Baby
Baum, N., Weidberg, Z., Osher, Y., & Kohelet, D. (2012) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732311422899 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Lobel, M., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2016) · Encyclopedia of Mental Health · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-397045-9.00164-6 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Who is distressed? A comparison of psychosocial stress in pregnancy across seven ethnicities
Robinson, A. M., Benzies, K. M., Cairns, S. L., Fung, T., & Tough, S. C. (2016) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-016-1015-8 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Patterns of change in anxiety and depression during pregnancy predict preterm birth
Doktorchik, C., Premji, S., Slater, D., Williamson, T., Tough, S., & Patten, S. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.10.001 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Prenatal perceived stress and adverse birth outcomes among Puerto Rican women
Szegda, K., Bertone-Johnson, E. R., Pekow, P., Powers, S., Markenson, G., Dole, N., & Chasan-Taber, L. (2018) · Journal of Women's Health · doi:10.1089/jwh.2016.6118 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
- Authors
- Glynn, L. M., Schetter, C. D., Hobel, C. J., & Sandman, C. A.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (US)
- Venue
- Health Psychology
- Published
- 2008-01
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 43-51
- ISSN
- 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-7810
- OpenAlex
- W1988959073
- Cited by
- 321
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 18.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- escholarship.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R01 HD-40967, R0l HD-28413)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Preterm Birth and Chorioamnionitis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Keywords
- perceived stress, pregnancy-related anxiety, preterm birth, gestation length, prenatal stress, term birth, prenatal risk factors
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety, Female, Gestational Age, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Longitudinal Studies, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Outcome, Prognosis, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, Los Angeles, Risk Assessment, 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
