Approximately 12% of all births in the United States are preterm (<37 weeks gestation). Preterm infants are at risk for a variety of poor health outcomes including significant physical and developmental disabilities, and often present significant caregiving challenges to their families following hospital discharge.
Women who deliver a baby prematurely are at greater risk for poorer mental health including anxiety and depression, and poorer maternal attachment/maternal role attainment. Premature birth of an infant is often accompanied by a variety of stressors for the new mother. The ability of a mother to cope with stress may directly influence her ability to effectively address the needs of her preterm infant.

Perceived psychological stress initiates a complex psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) response resulting in rapid changes in the endocrine, immune and cardiovascular systems in both animal and human models. Prolonged exposure to psychological stress is associated with increased risk for a variety of poor health conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, diabetes, and depression. Identifying specific strategies that will help the individual better manage stress may reduce health risk. Prior to testing specific stress management strategies, it is essential to identify valid and reliable measures of psychological and physiological stress.

The primary goals of this pilot study are (a) to test the feasibility of recruitment and data collection procedures, and (b) to evaluate potential relationships among measures of psychological stress, physiologic stress, and potentially important cofactors in a population previously identified as likely to be experiencing high levels of perceived stress – mothers of hospitalized preterm infants. Further, we aim to identify acceptable stress management strategies in this population to guide development of a future stress management intervention study.