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Psychosomatic Medicine 36:352-362 (1974)
© 1974 American Psychosomatic Society

Abnormalities of Pregnancy as a Function of Anxiety and Life Stress

RICHARD L. GORSUCH 1 and MARTHA K. KEY 1

1 John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Education and Human Development, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tennessee 38203

Various psychosocial factors, particularly anxiety, have been found to correlate with medical abnormalities in pregnancy. But measures of anxiety have often been obtained late in pregnancy and have rarely been examined in conjunction with life stress. Therefore, this study measured states of anxiety and magnitude of life change surrounding the pregnancies of 118 low income clinic patients. Results indicated that anxiety around the first trimester was related to abnormalities of pregnancy, parturition and infant status. Life stress during the second and third trimesters was similarly associated with the same measure of abnormalities. Anxiety and life stress were found to independently contribute to abnormalities of pregnancy and are critical at different times. Evidence did not suggest that either anxiety or life stress before conception influences the course and outcome of pregnancy.

Submitted on October 9, 1973
Revised on January 17, 1974




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