Psychosomatic Medicine Tips for Better Browsing
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by BROWN, W. A.
Right arrow Articles by GRODIN, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by BROWN, W. A.
Right arrow Articles by GRODIN, J.

Psychosomatic Medicine 34:119-128 (1972)
© 1972 American Psychosomatic Society

The Relationship of Antenatal and Perinatal Psychologic Variables to Use of Drugs in Labor

WALTER A. BROWN MD1, TRACEY MANNING MA1, and JAY GRODIN MD1

1 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Address reprint requests to: Walter A. Brown, MD, Box 1505-A, Yale Station, New Haven, Conn 06520.

Sixty-four primigravidas were evaluated psychologically and medically throughout pregnancy and parturition. The present authors studied the relationship between psychologic variables and the amounts of sedative and analgesic medication administered during labor in 38 women with uncomplicated pregnancy and parturition. The correlates of oxytoxic administration were investigated in 22 additional women who received oxytoxics for induction (N=4) or enhancement (N=18) of labor. The amount of barbiturate administered during labor was negatively correlated with prenatal measures of psychologic adaptation. Similar relationships were found for meperidine administration. The use of these drugs was not related to psychologic variables measured during labor or to other perinatal variables, such as length of labor and time of hospital admission. Women who received oxytoxics were paired with women from the uncomplicated group who had the same obstetrician and similar course in labor. The oxytoxic group did not differ from the uncomplicated group on the prenatal psychologic variables.

Submitted on March 22, 1971
Revised on June 28, 1971






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1972 by the American Psychosomatic Society