title: Maternal stress and neonatal anthropometry: the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies.
abstract: The effect of maternal mood disorders on neonatal measurements is not well-defined. The Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the relationship between perceived maternal stress and neonatal growth measurements.
  
  
  
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived maternal stress during pregnancy is associated with anthropometric measurements in the neonate.
  
  
  
  This analysis was based on a prospective, multicenter longitudinal study of fetal growth. Women 18-40 years old with a body mass index of 19.0-29.9 kg/m2were screened at 8+0 to 13+6 weeks gestation for low-risk status associated with optimal fetal growth (eg, healthy, nonsmoking) and underwent serial sonographic examination at 6 study visits throughout gestation. At each study visit, women completed the Cohen's Perceived Stress Survey, which could have a score that ranges from 0-40. We used a latent class trajectory model to identify distinct groupings (ie, classes) of the Perceived Stress Survey trajectories over pregnancy. Trend analysis was used to determine whether neonatal measurements including birthweight, length, head circumference, and abdominal circumference differed by Perceived Stress Survey class and whether this relationship was modified by maternal race/ethnicity, after adjustment for gestational age at delivery, maternal height, age, and parity.
  
  
  
  Of the 2334 women enrolled in the study, 1948 women had complete neonatal anthropometry and were included in the analysis. Latent class analysis identified 3 Perceived Stress Survey trajectory classes, with mean Perceived Stress Survey scores of 2.82 (low), 7.95 (medium), and 14.80 (high). Neonatal anthropometric measures of birthweight, length, head circumference and abdominal circumference were similar (P=.78, =.10, =.18, and =.40 respectively), regardless of the participants' Perceived Stress Survey class. There was no effect modification by maternal race/ethnicity.
  
  
  
  Neonatal measurements did not differ by levels of perceived stress among low-risk pregnant women.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Irvine and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center/Miller Children's Hospital, Orange, CA. Electronic address: dwing@uci.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ortega-Villa
authors.affiliation: Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Grobman
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hediger
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Jagteshwar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grewal
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pugh
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Sungduk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: D'Alton
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wapner
authors.affiliation: Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sciscione
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Grantz
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002508:Cephalometry; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D054582:National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.); D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014481:United States
keywords: anthropometry; maternal stress