Cognitive adaptation: A women's health perspective for reducing stress during childbearing

The purpose of this study is to evaluate psychological changes in women of three minority ethnic groups in a program of psychosocial services that pro moted positive cognitive adaptation to childbearing throughout pregnancy an d the postpartum period. In this prospective longitudinal study, both cogni tive adaptation and generalized stress were measured at each trimester of p regnancy as well as after birth and 3 months postpartum. The mean scores at each time are first compared with first trimester scores for women in the program and then with scores for comparable women in a cross-sectional samp le tested before the program. For women in the program, results of the psyc hological adaptation measures and the stress measures had improved from the ir first trimester value by the time of birth. Stress levels of women in th e program were less than for women in the corresponding comparison sample f rom the third trimester on. Enhanced perinatal services that include interv entions and monitoring strategies aimed at improving the cognitive adaptati on of women to childbearing are important in promoting stress reduction in women acid infants.