Pregnancy Wantedness, Maternal Psychosocial Factors, and Birth Outcomes

Lynne Messer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nancy Dole, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jay S. Kaufman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
David A. Savitz, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This research examines the association of pregnancy wantedness, maternal stress, depression, and coping on preterm birth (PTB), using the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition cohort from central North Carolina, 1995-2001. Measures included four questions about pregnancy wantedness/timing, and standardized life events, depression, and coping scales. PTB, defined as delivery prior to 37 completed weeks' gestation, accounted for 13% of the births. In unadjusted log-linear analyses, pregnancy wantedness was associated with six of eight coping styles, depression, and stress among these women. Pregnancy wantedness and depression were unassociated with PTB, but high levels of stress and distancing coping style were associated. Our results suggest pregnancy wantedness may interact with coping and depression among these women. The results of additional modeling of pregnancy wantedness with coping, stress, and depression interactions will be reported. This research considers pregnancy wantedness in light of maternal psychosocial variables and examines their combined influence on pregnancy outcomes.