Bio-Psych Stress Measure Associations and Preterm Birth

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is compelling evidence that chronic stress contributes to the risk of preterm birth. A proposed mechanism for this contribution is via the maternal-fetal-placental hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes, with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) playing a major regulatory role. The proposed preliminary study of 100 pregnant women has three aims: 1) To identify which aspects of maternal chronic stress have the strongest and most predictive relationships with CRH levels at 15-20 weeks of gestation, using psychometric, behavioral, and demographic indicators of chronic stress, 2) To identify differences in these measures of chronic stress, between categorical splits (i.e. quartiles, tertiles) in CRH levels at 15-20 weeks of gestation, in order to determine if there are relevant groups having potential for stress reduction interventions, and 3) To evaluate the relationships between measures of CRH and chronic stress at 15-20 weeks gestation, and the outcome of term vs. preterm birth, in order to determine which measures might render the greatest predictive value. This preliminary study will lay the groundwork for future investigations of stress reduction interventions having potential to reduce preterm birth. The study will be conducted in conjunction with a longitudinal maternal serum sample collection and storage project, which will be available to the applicant for future biobehavioral research studies.