Life stresses and premature labor: real connection or artifactual findings?

Three studies on the relationship between life stresses and premature labor were conducted. The first was a retrospective comparison of life events between a group of women who had had premature labor and a group of controls. It was carried out between 3 and 6 months after the premature delivery to neutralize possible effects of time closeness to the traumatic event and of mothers' anxiety for the babies' condition. Results showed no difference between groups. In a second, prospective study, women who afterwards developed premature contractions were found to have a slightly higher frequency of life events. A third study investigated effects of the stress of the Yom Kippur War upon incidence of premature deliveries. It was found that during the war and immediately after it, the frequency of premature deliveries was lower than a year later. Results showed that most research conducted in this field has led to doubtful conclusions. The need for prospective studies and for investigations of the effects of real-life stresses is underlined.