ReviewJournal of perinatal medicine2013
Psychosocial stress in pregnancy and preterm birth: associations and mechanisms.
Review in Journal of perinatal medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 148 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
148 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 287 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mediators of socioeconomic inequalities in preterm birth: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Prenatal maternal posttraumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for adverse birth weight and gestational age outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of affective disorders · 2021Pooled it
- The relationship between social support and mental health problems during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Reproductive health · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Racial Discrimination and Adverse Birth Outcomes: An Integrative Review.Journal of midwifery & women's health · 2016Pooled it
- Prenatal Maternal Anxiety as a Risk Factor for Preterm Birth and the Effects of Heterogeneity on This Relationship: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.BioMed research international · 2016Pooled it
- Effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on anxiety and pregnancy outcomes in mothers with IUGR: an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Trial
- Prevalence, risk factors and short-term consequences of adverse birth outcomes in Zimbabwean pregnant women: a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial.International journal of epidemiology · 2022Trial
- Maternal cortisol and stress are associated with birth outcomes, but are not affected by lipid-based nutrient supplements during pregnancy: an analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Malawi.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2015Trial
- The impact of mental health disorders in pregnancy on obstetric and neonatal outcomes: A narrative review.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- Immunological maladaptation preceding spontaneous preterm birth in human pregnancies.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The interplay of risk and protective factors for psychosocial outcome in women after induced abortion - an interview study from Germany.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Dual-Targeted Nanotherapy Restores Redox Homeostasis and Suppresses Uterine Hypercontractility for Effective Preterm Birth Intervention.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Article
- Sexual aggression and prenatal stress lead to poor maternal care and aggressive behaviour in male Wistar rat offspring.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2026Article
- Superwoman Schema Endorsement and its Association to Perceived Stress During Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes among Non-Hispanic Black American Women.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- The role of housing instability in the association between ambient temperature and preterm birth.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Stress from pregnancy disclosure and its impact on teen mothers' identity in Rwanda: a qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Maternal stress in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes among women living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Impact of COVID-19 Infection Rates on Pregnancy Outcomes and Disparities in Florida.Maternal and child health journal · 2025Article
- Development of Powerly, unguided mobile app intervention preventing postpartum depression and anxiety & study protocol of randomized clinical trial.Internet interventions · 2025Article
88 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
aimsPsychosocial stress during pregnancy (PSP) is a risk factor of growing interest in the etiology of preterm birth (PTB). This literature review assesses the published evidence concerning the association between PSP and PTB, highlighting established and hypothesized physiological pathways mediating this association.
methodThe PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched using the keywords "psychosocial stress", "pregnancy", "pregnancy stress", "preterm", "preterm birth", "gestational age", "anxiety", and "social support". After applying the exclusion criteria, the search produced 107 articles.
resultsThe association of PSP with PTB varied according to the dimensions and timing of PSP. Stronger associations were generally found in early pregnancy, and most studies demonstrating positive results found moderate effect sizes, with risk ratios between 1.2 and 2.1. Subjective perception of stress and pregnancy-related anxiety appeared to be the stress measures most closely associated with PTB. Potential physiological pathways identified included behavioral, infectious, neuroinflammatory, and neuroendocrine mechanisms.
conclusionsFuture research should examine the biological pathways of these different psychosocial stress dimensions and at multiple time points across pregnancy. Culture-independent characterization of the vaginal microbiome and noninvasive monitoring of cholinergic activity represent two exciting frontiers in this research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.