Antenatal maternal emotional distress and duration of pregnancy

PLoS One. 2014 Jul 7;9(7):e101682. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101682. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Objective(s): We sought to prospectively study the association between antenatal emotional distress and gestational length at birth as well as preterm birth.

Study design: We followed up 40,077 primiparous women in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Emotional distress was reported in a short form of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-5) at 17 and 30 weeks of gestation. Gestational length at birth, obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, was used as continuous (gestational length in days) and categorized (early preterm (22-31 weeks) and late preterm (32-36 weeks) versus term birth (≥ 37 weeks)) outcome, using linear and logistic regression analysis, respectively. Births were divided into spontaneous and provider-initiated.

Results: Of all women, 7.4% reported emotional distress at 17 weeks, 6.0% at 30 weeks and 5.1% had a preterm birth. All measurements of emotional distress at 30 weeks were significantly associated with a reduction of gestational length, in days, for provider-initiated births at term. Emotional distress at 30 weeks showed a reduced duration of pregnancy at birth of 2.40 days for provider-initiated births at term. An increase in emotional distress from 17 to 30 weeks was associated with a reduction of gestational length at birth of 2.13 days for provider-initiated births at term. Sustained high emotional distress was associated with a reduction of gestational length at birth of 2.82 days for provider-initiated births. Emotional distress did not increase the risk of either early or late preterm birth.

Conclusion: Emotional distress at 30 weeks, an increase in emotional distress from 17 to 30 weeks and sustained high levels of emotional distress were associated with a reduction in gestational length in days for provider-initiated term birth. We found no significant association between emotional distress and the risk of preterm birth.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Emotions*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mothers / psychology*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Outcome / psychology*
  • Premature Birth / psychology
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk
  • Stress, Psychological*
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

Mirjam Lukasse received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Norwegian Research Council, Grant no. 204292 (http://www.forskningsradet.no/no/Forsiden/1173185591033). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.