A prospective study of psychosocial job strain and birth outcomes.

We conducted a prospective study in Alabama to examine the relation between job strain during pregnancy and birth outcomes. We hypothesized that maternal jobs high in demands and low in control would lead to lower birth weight in offspring. The sample consisted of 480 black and white women, 20 to 34 years of age receiving early prenatal care. Adjusting for standard covariates, women with high strain jobs had babies with birth weights 190 gm lower than those born to mothers in low strain jobs or unemployed (95% CI = 48 gm, 333 gm). Black women experienced a greater effect from job strain than white women.