Abstract
Objective: To explore the effects of antenatal anxiety on fetal
growth, and to investigate the effect of anxiety timing and the
potentially different effect of trait anxiety and state anxiety on fetal
growth. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting:
Barcelona, Spain. Population: A cohort of 204 women with
singleton pregnancies attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary care
setting during the strict lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Methods: Psychosocial factors, maternal demographics, and
obstetric outcomes were studied as potential predictors of low birth
weight. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIs, STAIt), the Edinburgh
postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Medical Outcomes Study Social
Support Survey (MOS-SSS) were used to assess symptoms of anxiety,
symptoms of depression, and social support, respectively. Main
Outcome Measures: Neonatal birth weight, head circumference and length.
Results: There was a negative correlation between STAIt score
(trait anxiety) and birth weight percentile (r=-0.228, p=0.047). In the
univariate linear regression analysis, a lower maternal weight and BMI
before pregnancy, parity, increased STAIt score and preterm birth below
37 weeks of gestation (p=0.008, p=0.015, p=0.028, p=0.047 and p=0.022,
respectively) were identified as predictive risk factors for low birth
weight. In the multivariate lineal regression analysis only a lower
maternal weight before pregnancy and an increased STAIt score were
independent predictors for low birth weight (p=0.020, p=0.049,
respectively). Conclusions: Anxiety during pregnancy impacts
birth weight, and specifically the trait anxiety, the one associated
with the personality attributes, is a predictor for low birth weight.