The researchers studied almost 200 pregnant women, who were assessed through questionnaires and psychological tests regarding their level of anxiety.
Women who are stressed during pregnancy give birth earlier on average than those who are not, a new American scientific study shows. The research highlights the need for doctors to screen for anxiety – and not just depression as is more often done – during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy.
The researchers, led by Dr. Christine Dunkel Setter of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who made the relevant publication in the Journal of Health Psychology “Health Psychology”studied almost 200 pregnant women, who were evaluated through questionnaires and psychological tests regarding their level of anxiety.
Previous studies have shown that approximately one in four pregnant women experience increased clinical symptoms of anxiety. The new study confirms that stress is a risk factor for preterm birth before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Pregnancy-related stress, especially during the third trimester, has been found to be most associated with preterm birth. But generalized anxiety during the first trimester also increases the risk of the baby being born prematurely.
Anxiety can be due to various current factors (medical risks of pregnancy, risks to the baby, the prospect of childbirth and becoming a parent, etc.) or to more permanent causes.
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