Prevalence and significance of social and psychological risk factors during pregnancy.

Moderate psychosocial problems identified during early pregnancy in 78 women were found to predispose for various "complications" during gestation, but not for prematurity or obstetrical complications during delivery. However, from a normal postnatal status the children of these mothers demonstrated a significantly unfavorable somatic, as well as psychomotoric development, until the age of 4. Pregnant women with certain psychosocial problems must be early identified and property attended to in order to preclude an adverse child development.