Persistent genital and pelvic pain after childbirth.

Introduction: Although genital pain and pelvic pain are common and well-documented problems in the early postpartum period, little is known about their course. The few published studies of such pain beyond 1 year postpartum have focused primarily on the perineum and have not assessed pain onset.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of all types of genital and pelvic pain in the second year postpartum, and to explore risk factors for their persistence.

Neighborhood, family, and subjective socioeconomic status: How do they relate to adolescent health?

This study investigated the role of neighborhood, family, and individual subjective socioeconomic status (SES) in predicting adolescent physical health and psychological characteristics. Three hundred fifteen adolescents completed assessments of blood pressure, cortisol, and body mass index (BMI). Results revealed that lower neighborhood SES was associated with higher BMI and lower basal cortisol levels and that these effects persisted after controlling for family SES.

Socioeconomic status and inflammatory processes in childhood asthma: the role of psychological stress.

Background: Although social environment variables such as socioeconomic status (SES) have been linked to childhood asthma, little is known about the psychobiological mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate relationships among SES, psychological stress, and immune processes implicated in asthma.

Methods: Thirty-seven children ages 9 to 18 years, physician-diagnosed with asthma, and 39 healthy children participated.