Ethnic differences in birthweight: the role of lifestyle and other factors.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to expand the search for risk factors for low birthweight and to find new explanations for the ethnic-group disparities in birth outcomes.

Methods: The subjects were 1150 pregnant women from six ethnic groups (African American, Chinese, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and White) who received prenatal care at clinics in New York and Chicago between December 1987 and December 1989. Two interviews were conducted during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Identifying variables predictive of success: The next step in alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization research.

This investigation addresses two issues central to psychiatric hospitalization: (1) Can alternative treatments be effective? and (2) How can patients appropriate for the alternatives be identified? This random design study found that a majority of patients assessed as requiring immediate psychiatric hospitalization could utilize a combination of emergency housing and outpatient treatment to avoid hospitalization. Five key variables examined at intake proved useful in predicting ability to succeed in the alternative treatment setting. Patients who failed in the alternative setting had trouble utilizing leisure time, were grandiose, exhibited eating problems, had difficulty with family, and showed an absence of paranoia.

The psychological impact of prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormality: strategies for investigation and intervention.

Though there are distinct technical advantages to medical advances allowing prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormalities, the psychological impact of the use of these procedures has been given little consideration. While early detection of impairment may provide parents with an opportunity for emotional preparation, it also may precipitate a long period of distress. Toward the end of clarifying this indeterminate impact of prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormality, the literature addressing the emotional consequences of giving birth to an impaired infant is examined for its relevance to the prenatal diagnostic situation.