RESEARCH IN PREGNANCY AND MENTAL-ILLNESS - TESTING OLD WIVES HYPOTHESES

Methodological challenges encountered in evaluating the relationships between life stress, mental illness and pregnancy outcome are identifi ed and several studies on the relationships between pregnancy and chil dbirth and psychosocial factors, including life stresses, major psychi atric disorders, and puerperal depression, are reviewed. Certain metho dological pitfalls are illustrated by showing how relationships betwee n psychiatric diagnosis, severity of psychiatric symptomatology, life stresses, strains specific to the pregnancy, amount of intervention re ceived and outcome of keeping or losing the infant have been explored. Five stages of research are identified and particular difficulties en countered at each stage are described with application to the authors' longitudinal study.