RESUMO
Objective To explore the effect of psychological stress and salivary cortisol on the pregnancy outcome of pregnant women with preterm birth. Methods From January to September 2016, the convenience sampling method was adopted to select 138 pregnant woman with preterm preterm delivery of preterm preterm births in a class of grade 3 obstetrics and gynecology specialized hospitals. Among them, there were 86 pregnant women with preterm birth and 52 with full-term birth. The perceived stress scale ( PSS) combined with saliva cortisol testing to assess subjective and objective psychological stress of pregnant women, using multiple linear regression analysis the relationship of psychological pressure,salivary cortisol and preterm birth. Results The PSS score of 138 prenant woman was 21.5±8.1 with middle-high level. The PSS score of 86 pregnant women with preterm birth were higher those of 52 with full-term birth. The salivary cortisol levels of 8:00am, 16:00pm and 23:00pm in 86 pregnant women with preterm birth were respectively significantly higher than those of 52 with full-term birth (P<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that high PSS score and short pregnant weeks with preterm birth were also risk factors for premature birth (all P<0.05). Conclusions High levels of psychological stress and short pregnant weeks are risk factors for premature birth. Health care workers can reduce the incidence of preterm labor by improving the mental state of pregnant women.