Impact of Prenatal Maternal Stress During Pregnancy on Adverse Outcomes of Infants’ Birth Weight and Length of Gestation Among Indian Professional Women
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online January, 2026
Impact of Prenatal Maternal Stress During Pregnancy on Adverse Outcomes of Infants’ Birth Weight and Length of Gestation Among Indian Professional Women
The principal objective of this research was to investigate the effects of various types of stress (occupational, life, and pregnancy-specific stresses) on adverse pregnancy outcomes experienced by Indian professional women during the course of their pregnancy. The outcomes of the study included: infants’ gestational length, overall birth weight, and the medical conditions of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm-delivered infants. The results of this study illustrated that among all three forms of stress, occupational stress was found to be the most important predictor of the infants’ birth weight and length of gestation, combined with pregnancy-specific stress, after adjusting for the influence of various socio-demographic variables. The existing research portrays knowledgeable and reasonable outcomes to the community at large, and medical health care professionals, since our consequences fortify the discussion that pregnant working women must be examined and adequately supported for undergoing different kinds of stress in the early stage of gestation, with regular prenatal health care and check-ups.
McCarthyM, HoughtonC, Matvienko-SikarK.Women’s experiences and perceptions of anxiety and stress during the perinatal period: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021;21(1):811. doi:10.1186/s12884-021-04271-w
2.
LittletonHL, BreitkopfCR, BerensonAB.Correlates of anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and association with perinatal outcomes: A meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007;196(5):424–432. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2007.03.042
3.
AnsariF, ZabihiradJ, KohanS, AkbariL.Relationship between occupational stress and adverse pregnancy outcomes in nurses. J Clinic Care Skill. 2023;4(1):45–50.
4.
SinghR, RustagiN.Work stress in first trimester causes low birth weight baby. Indian J Community Med. 2011;36(3):238–239. doi:10.4103/0970-0218.86530
5.
Fotinatos-VentouratosRSJ.The psychological and social implications of the gender wage gap. In: AntioniouA-S, CooperCL, GatrellC, eds. Women, Business and Leadership: Gender and Organisations. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishers; 2019.
6.
LobelM, Dunkel-SchetterC, ScrimshawSC.Prenatal maternal stress and prematurity: A prospective study of socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Health Psychol. 1992;11(1):32–40. doi:10.1037//0278-6133.11.1.32
7.
BridgerR, KilminsterS, SlavenG.Occupational stress and strain in the Naval Service: 1999 and 2004. Occup Med (Lond). 2007;57(2):92–97. doi:10.1093/occmed/kql124
8.
CollingwoodJ.Work Stress Linked to Low Birth Weight Preterm BirthPsych Central; 2016. Retrieved on January1, 2017, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/work-stress-linked-to-low-birthweight-and-preterm-birth
9.
NaikMVK, NayakV, RamaiahR, Praneetha.Pregnancy outcome in working women with work place stress. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2017;6(7):2891. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20172631
10.
Escribá-AgüirV, Perez-HoyosS, Saurel-CubizollesMJ.Physical load and psychological demand at work during pregnancy and preterm birth. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2001;74(8):583–588. doi:10.1007/s004200100259
11.
NiedhammerI, O’MahonyD, DalyS, MorrisonJJ, KelleherCCLifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study Steering GroupOccupational predictors of pregnancy outcomes in Irish working women in the Lifeways cohort. BJOG. 2009;116(7):943–952. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02160.x
12.
HogueCJ, BremnerJD.Stress model for research into preterm delivery among black women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005;192(Suppl 5):S47–S55. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2005.01.073
13.
RondóPH, FerreiraRF, NogueiraF, RibeiroMC, LobertH, ArtesR.Maternal psychological stress and distress as predictors of low birth weight, prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003;57(2):266–272. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601526
14.
Tandu-UmbaB, DedetemoDK, ManangaGL.Maternal stress and pregnancy outcomes. Open J Obstet Gynecol. 2014;4(7):361–370. doi:10.4236/ojog.2014.47054
15.
DiPietroJA, GheraMM, CostiganK, HawkinsM.Measuring the ups and downs of pregnancy stress. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2004;25(3-4):189–201. doi:10.1080/01674820400017830
16.
GellerPA.Pregnancy as a stressful life event. CNS Spectr. 2004;9(3):188–197. doi:10.1017/s1092852900008981
17.
AlderdiceF, LynnF.Factor structure of the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire. Midwifery. 2011;27(4):553–559. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2010.05.003
18.
IbrahimSM, LobelM.Conceptualization, measurement, and effects of pregnancy-specific stress: Review of research using the original and revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire. J Behav Med. 2020;43(1):16–33. doi:10.1007/s10865-019-00068-7
19.
Cole-LewisHJ, KershawTS, EarnshawVA, YonkersKA, LinH, IckovicsJR.Pregnancy-specific stress, preterm birth, and gestational age among high-risk young women. Health Psychol. 2014;33(9):1033–1045. doi:10.1037/a0034586
20.
Coussons-ReadME, LobelM, CareyJC, . The occurrence of preterm delivery is linked to pregnancy-specific distress and elevated inflammatory markers across gestation. Brain Behav Immun. 2012;26(4):650–659. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2012.02.009
21.
LedermanRP.Anxiety and conflict in pregnancy: Relationship to maternal health status. Annu Rev Nurs Res. 1984;2:27–61.
22.
SrivastavaAK, SinghAP.Construction and standardization of an occupational stress index: A pilot study. Indian J Clin Psychol. 1981;8(2):133–136.
23.
SarasonIG, JohnsonJH, SiegelJM.Assessing the impact of life changes: Development of the Life Experiences Survey. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1978;46(5):932–946. doi:10.1037//0022-006x.46.5.932
24.
BerkowitzGS, PapiernikE.Epidemiology of preterm birth. Epidemiol Rev. 1993;15:414–443.
25.
SavitzDA, PastoreLM.Causes of prematurity. In: McCormickMC, SiegelJE, eds. Prenatal Care: Effectiveness and Implementation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1999:63–104.
26.
SharmaR, BiedenharnKR, FedorJM, AgarwalA.Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: Taking control of your fertility. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11:66. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-11-66
27.
KeithL, LukeB.The association between women’s work, working conditions, and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Womens Health Issues. 1991;1(3):113–119. doi:10.1016/s1049-3867(05)80112-4
28.
SimpsonJL.Are physical activity and employment related to preterm birth and low birth weight?Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1993;168(4):1231–1238. doi:10.1016/0002-9378(93)90374-r
29.
LimaM, IsmailS, AshworthA, MorrisSS.Influence of heavy agricultural work during pregnancy on birthweight in northeast Brazil. Int J Epidemiol. 1999;28(3):469–474. doi:10.1093/ije/28.3.469
