Psychosocial pathways to prematurity: changing our thinking toward a lifecourse and community approach

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the psychosocial antecedents of prematurity. Emphasis is on conceptual areas and supporting literature for (a) the contexts in which prematurity occurs and the diversity of women's experiences; (b) a lifecourse approach to prematurity that highlights allostatic load and the accumulation of trauma and loss in possible prematurity pathways; and (c) diverse psychosocial/biological pathways and mechanisms of prematurity processes. Pathways examining psychosocial and prematurity connections will be explicated, including antecedents and outcomes other than stress proneness and vulnerability. Implications for research are logically derived from a focus on the impact of social context on individual outcomes through multilevel models and methods. Clinical implications are derived from the social contexts, lifecourse, and multiple pathways focus of the article and include increasing social cohesion in communities, population health strategies, particular psychosocial interventions, and attentive listening.