Definition
Pregnancy anxiety is a situation-specific negative emotional state tied to pregnancy-specific concerns or worries.
Description
Pregnancy is the period from conception to childbirth and is divided into three trimesters, with an average gestational length of 40 weeks. While pregnancy can be a positive experience for many women and their families, it can also be a very stressful time. Some pregnant women become anxious about the health of their fetus, labor and delivery, and their ability to parent a new infant, among other concerns. Pregnancy anxiety (also referred to as pregnancy-specific anxiety or pregnancy-related anxiety) is a situation-specific negative emotional state tied to pregnancy-specific concerns or worries. Anxietyis defined as a negative emotional state characterized by worry, fear, and intrusive thoughts that are typically related to future events and often accompanied by somatic symptoms such...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References and Further Reading
Alderdice, F., Lynn, F., & Lobel, M. (2012). A review and psychometric evaluation of pregnancy-specific stress measures. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, 33(2), 62–77. https://doi.org/10.3109/0167482X.2012.673040.
Blair, M. M., Glynn, L. M., Sandman, C. A., & Davis, E. P. (2011). Prenatal maternal anxiety and early childhood temperament. Stress, 14(6), 644–651. https://doi.org/10.3109/10253890.2011.594121.
Buss, C., Davis, E. P., Hobel, C. J., & Sandman, C. A. (2011). Maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety is associated with child executive function at 6–9 years age. Stress, 14(6), 665–676. https://doi.org/10.3109/10253890.2011.623250.
Campos, B., Schetter, C. D., Walsh, J. A., & Schenker, M. (2007). Sharpening the focus on acculturative change: ARSMA-II, stress, pregnancy anxiety, and infant birthweight in recently immigrated Latinas. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 29(2), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986307300841.
Davis, E. P., & Sandman, C. A. (2012). Prenatal psychobiological predictors of anxiety risk in preadolescent children. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 37(8), 1224–1233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.12.016.
Dunkel Schetter, C. (2011). Psychological science on pregnancy: Stress processes, biopsychosocial models, and emerging research issues. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 531–558. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.031809.130727.
Guardino, C. M., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2014). Understanding pregnancy anxiety: Concepts, correlates and consequences. Zero to Three, 34(4), 12–21.
Huizink, A. C., Robles de Medina, P. G., Mulder, E. J., Visser, G. H., & Buitelaar, J. K. (2003). Stress during pregnancy is associated with developmental outcome in infancy. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 810–818. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00166.
Kramer, M. S., Lydon, J., Séguin, L., Goulet, L., Kahn, S. R., McNamara, H., … & Platt, R. W. (2009). Stress pathways to spontaneous preterm birth: The role of stressors, psychological distress, and stress hormones. American Journal of Epidemiology, 69(11), 1319–1326. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwp061.
Mancuso, R. A., Schetter, C. D., Rini, C. M., Roesch, S. C., & Hobel, C. J. (2004). Maternal prenatal anxiety and corticotropin-releasing hormone associated with timing of delivery. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(5), 762–769. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000138284.70670.d5.
Ramos, I. F., Guardino, C. M., Mansolf, M., Glynn, L. M., Sandman, C. A., Hobel, C. J., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2019). Pregnancy anxiety predicts shorter gestation in Latina and non-Latina white women: The role of placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 99, 166–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.008.
Rini, C. K., Dunkel-Schetter, C., Wadhwa, P. D., & Sandman, C. A. (1999). Psychological adaptation and birth outcomes: The role of personal resources, stress, and sociocultural context in pregnancy. Health Psychology, 18(4), 333–345. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.18.4.333.
Roesch, S. C., Dunkel Schetter, C., Woo, G., & Hobel, C. J. (2004). Modeling the types and timing of stress in pregnancy. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 17(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/1061580031000123667.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Julian, M., Ramos, I.F., Mahrer, N.E., Dunkel Schetter, C. (2020). Pregnancy Anxiety. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_102023-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_102023-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine