Psychological Prevention of Early Pre-Term Birth: A Reliable Benefit

Objectives: After a previous study had shown the existence of psychological risk factors of pre-term delivery, we designed a study aimed at assessing the effect of psychotherapeutic support of pregnant women hospitalised with pre-term labour, followed by a second multicentric study aimed at demonstrating the reliability of such an intervention. Methods: Both studies were conducted in two successive cohorts of patients hospitalised with pre-term labour at 18–35 weeks of gestation. The initial study comprised 157 patients in each group, whereas the reliability study comprised 191 patients in the experimental group versus 202 in the control group. In each experimental group, the patients were offered psychotherapeutic support in addition to the usual clinical management. The psychological support included interviews with a psychologist and a collaborative work plan implemented with the nursing staff. Results: The analysis, conducted in the ‘intention to treat’ manner, shows a significant decrease in the early pre-term birth rate (