Abstract

MARRERO SANTOS, Maria de Lourdes; ROMAN HERNANDEZ, Jorge Juan  and  SALOMON AVICH, Nelly. Work psychosocial stress as a risk factor for pregnancy complications and low birth weight. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2013, vol.39, suppl.1, pp. 864-880. ISSN 0864-3466.

Objectives: to determine the effect of work psychosocial stress in the occurrence of gestational complications and low birth weight. Methods: prospective cohort study carried out between 2005-2010, in 10 de Octubre municipality, Havana City. The final sample was composed of 521 workers and 429 housewives, who were detected in their 8 to 14 weeks of gestation. Work psychosocial stress was measured through the demand-control model of job strain and personality dynamism. Results: job represented a risk factor for low birth weight. The measurement of work psychosocial stress determined that, perceiving the job as one with high requirements to be fulfilled, little possibilities of deciding its organization and use of skills, or a highly demanding job whenever they are unwanted, were risk factors for low birth weight. Perceiving the job as one with high requirements and desire it or having a job with little possibilities for using her skills and of taking decisions when it is not desire, represents a risk factor for gestational complications. Conclusions: the condition of being a working pregnant woman increases the risk of having a low birth weight child, but it is not for the occurrence of gestational complications. The lack of correspondence between the perception of the work done and the desire of how it should be, implies the possibility of having a low birth weight child and a greater or lesser number of complications during pregnancy. Other subjectivity conditions associated with work, become protective factors.

Keywords : work psychosocial stress; pregnancy; control-demand model; personality dynamism; risk factor.

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