Maternal Stress Before Conception Is Associated with Shorter Gestation.

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Psychosocial Factors in Pregnancy
• Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Background:

• Maternal stress during pregnancy is linked to adverse birth outcomes.
• Preconception stressors may also risk maternal and child health.
• Existing research on preconception stress is limited, often using single measures and focusing only on linear associations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify latent factors within a set of preconception stress measures.
• To investigate both linear and curvilinear relationships between these stress factors and gestational length.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Developed a measurement model of maternal stress using factor analysis on seven acute and chronic stress measures in 2,637 diverse women.
• Identified three latent factors: stressors, stress appraisals, and chronic relationship stress.
• Study 2: Examined associations between these factors and subsequent pregnancy length in 360 women.

Main Results:

• A significant linear effect was found: higher perceived stress was associated with shorter gestation.
• A curvilinear effect was observed for stressors: moderate levels correlated with longer gestation.
• These associations persisted after controlling for prenatal medical risks.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight stress as a multidimensional construct influencing pregnancy outcomes.
• Results have implications for understanding intergenerational developmental adversities.
• The study may guide preconception prevention strategies for improved maternal and child health.