Coping with the stress of premature labor

Premature birth, the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality in the United States affects between 8% and 12% of all live births. Approximately 80% of premature births are proceeded by premature labor. Significant progress has been made in the physical treatment of premature labor; however, the psychological cost to women being treated needs further study. My purpose in conducting this study was to assess the stress experienced by women treated at home for premature labor and to examine methods used by the women to cope. The theoretical framework was provided by Lazarus's model of Stress, Coping, and Emotion. A total of 50 women participated. Twenty responded to a questionnaire that included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire only, 10 were interviewed only, and 20 completed the questionnaire and the interview.

The women reported experiencing a moderate amount of stress. Their mean stress score was 26.75, just below the mean for the instrument (M = 28) and slightly less than the stress score of 27.52 reported by women experiencing a "normal" pregnancy. Appraisal was assessed by analyzing the data from the interviews. The women appraised their situation as both threatening and challenging. They described their emotional response most frequently as frustration because of fear concerning the pregnancy outcome, loss of control over their life, and inability to perform their usual roles of mother, wife, and worker. The women reported on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire that they used strategies from three subscales to cope with the premature labor. Those subscales were Seeking Social Support, Planful Problem-Solving, and Positive Reappraisal.