Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106461

Lockwood Grant Taylor and Kathryn M. Cardarelli, MPH, PhD. Epidemiology, UNTHSC-School of Public Health, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, 817-735-5192, lotaylor@hsc.unt.edu

While significant advances in biotechnology and improvements in obstetric care have contributed to marked declines in infant mortality, low-birth weight and premature infant deliveries remains an obstacle to achieving favorable maternal and infant health outcomes. Over the last three decades, interest has turned to social epidemiology to examine how and why adverse pregnancy outcomes still exist in virtually all strata of society. In particular, research interest in maternal environmental factors such as stress and social support has elucidated the potential association between environment and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This presentation summarizes significant research findings of associations between stress, social support, and adverse pregnancy outcomes spanning the last three decades. In so doing, the review highlights not only methodologies and brief descriptions of influential studies but also suggests areas of potential future research needed to advance our current understanding of how maternal stress and social support may influence pregnancy. To identify appropriate studies for inclusion to our review, searches of electronic journal databases were conducted using keywords such as “stress”, “stressor”, “social support”, “adverse pregnancy outcome”, “low-birth weight”, and “preterm birth”. Considerable progress in research has increased our understanding of what societal/environmental factors may influence pregnancy outcomes. Assessing the state of our knowledge in this line of research provides an opportunity to identify gaps in this research and therefore advance our understanding of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to identify the research advances suggesting associations between stress, social support, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• Participants will be able to identify potential future research opportunities based on the gaps existing in this research.
• Participants will gain a better understanding of study methodologies used in the research of environmental and social influences on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords: Pregnancy Outcomes, Stress

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.