American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 135, No. 3: 302-311
Copyright © 1992 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
research-article |
Job Stress and Adverse Outcome of Pregnancy: A Causal Link or Recall Bias?
Institute of Social Medicine, University of Aarhus Hoegh-Guldbergs Gade 8, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Reprint requests to Dr Lars P. A. Brandt at this address
A case-base study in a population of 214,108 commercial and clerical female workers in Denmark during the period 1983–1985 investigated whether increasing job stress, defined as increasing job demands and decreasing job control, increased the risk of an adverse outcome of pregnancy. Information on the cohort, the outcome of 24,362 pregnancies, was obtained by linkage with nationwide health registers. Six case groups were selected: 1) 2,248 spontaneous abortions, 2) 209 stillbirths or deaths within the first year of life, 3) 661 infants with congenital malformations, 3) 593 preterm deliveries, 4) 587 infants with term low birth weights, 5) 988 infants with light-for-date birth weights, and 6) a random sample of 2,252 pregnancies that constituted the reference group. Information on exposure was obtained by mailed questionnaire. When dichotomized scales on data concerning job demand and control were used, there was an increased relative risk of spontaneous abortion (odds ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.05–1.57) and term low birth weight (odds ratio = 1.46, 95% Cl 1.05–2.04) for women experiencing high job stress. For the other case groups, the odds ratios were as follows: congenital malformation, 1.23 (95% Cl 0.93–1.63); preterm delivery, 1.03 (95% Cl 0.77–1.39); light-for-date birth weight, 1.08 (95% Cl 0.83–1.40); and stillbirth/death within the first year of life, 1.42 (95% Cl 0.90–2.24). No substantial response bias was found. When occupational titles were used as an exposure matrix, no increased risk was found, except for term low birth weight. Recall bias is one possible explanation. Thus, the results must be interpreted with caution. Am J Epidemiol 1992;135:302–11.
bias (epidemiology); employment; environmental exposure; memory; pregnancy outcome; stress; psychological
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Croteau, S. Marcoux, and C. Brisson Work Activity in Pregnancy, Preventive Measures, and the Risk of Preterm Delivery Am. J. Epidemiol., October 15, 2007; 166(8): 951 - 965. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Croteau, S. Marcoux, and C. Brisson Work Activity in Pregnancy, Preventive Measures, and the Risk of Delivering a Small-for-Gestational-Age Infant Am J Public Health, May 1, 2006; 96(5): 846 - 855. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Wells, S. Colbert, and R. N. Slate Gender Matters: Differences in State Probation Officer Stress Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, February 1, 2006; 22(1): 63 - 79. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. Villamor, M. L. Dreyfuss, A. Baylin, G. Msamanga, and W. W. Fawzi Weight Loss During Pregnancy Is Associated with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes among HIV-1 Infected Women J. Nutr., June 1, 2004; 134(6): 1424 - 1431. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. N. Slate, T. L. Wells, and W. W. Johnson Opening the Manager's Door: State Probation Officer Stress and Perceptions of Participation in Workplace Decision Making Crime Delinquency, October 1, 2003; 49(4): 519 - 541. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 O. Stephansson, P. W Dickman, A. L. Johansson, and S. Cnattingius The influence of socioeconomic status on stillbirth risk in Sweden Int. J. Epidemiol., December 1, 2001; 30(6): 1296 - 1301. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Strand, E. Wergeland, and T. Bjerkedal Work load, job control and risk of leaving work by sickness certification before delivery, Norway 1989 Scand J Public Health, September 1, 1997; 25(3): 193 - 201. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. M. Norris, B. Beaty, G. Klingensmith, L. Yu, M. Hoffman, H. P. Chase, H. A. Erlich, R. F. Hamman, G. S. Eisenbarth, and M. Rewers Lack of Association Between Early Exposure to Cow's Milk Protein and {beta}-Cell Autoimmunity: Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) JAMA, August 28, 1996; 276(8): 609 - 614. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|