ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the correlation of stress, coping style and the concentration of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in umbilical blood between preterm birth and normal birth.Methods:46 with preterm birth and 42 normal birth controls were assessed with Life Event Scale (LES) and Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) at 28th-week of pregnancy. The concentrations of DHEA-s in umbilical blood were determined by ELISA for the two groups. Results:Of the scales of malignant life events (frequency: 1.24?0.74 vs 1.04?0.03; strength: 56.21?4.03 vs 44.35?1.06)、immature and middle type defense style scales (4.24?0.13 vs 3.55?0.11; 3.86?0.08 vs 3.64?0.06), and DHEA-s (0.72?0.02 vs 0.33?0.03) there were significant difference between preterm birth and normal birth controls (P