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Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze a possible correlation between personality traits and the level of stress experienced by women after premature labor. Material and methods:The analysis was carried out on the basis of a study conducted in 96 women after premature labor. The following tools were used: Personality Inventory NEO-FFI, Parental Stressor Scale: NICU (SSR:OITN), and personal data questionnaire. It was an exploratory study since the SSR:OITN method is only applied to find out the characteristic features of stress induced by prematurity, and, therefore, it cannot be applied to study the control sample (i.e. women who delivered at term). Results:The obtained results revealed significant correlations between the level and structure of stress connected with premature labor and personality traits. The general level of stress and all its components (infant's clinical characteristics and medical procedures, personal and interpersonal problems as well as parental competence) correlated positively with Neuroticism. Negative correlations between the general level of stress together with its parental competence factor and Extraversion and Openness to experience were found. Agreeableness correlated negatively with parental competence stress. No correlation between the level of stress and Conscientiousness was observed. Conclusions:Our findings shed new light on how women after premature labor experience stress, and suggested an effective medical-psychological-therapeutic support aiming at reducing the level of trauma. The SSR:OITN Scale is proposed as one of the basic methods used to diagnose difficulties experienced by the investigated women.

The study sought to determine the possibility of preterm mothers' basic hope changing between childbirth and 12-month follow-up, and the magnitude of potential changes. To this end, the levels of basic hope were measured at these two time points. Also investigated was whether changes in basic hope were associated with the anticipation of preterm birth, the childbirth method, planned pregnancy, and plural pregnancy. Basic hope is a relatively stable component of personality, but its level can vary over one's lifetime under the influence of different experiences, especially life-changing ones. Basic hope is a regulatory factor helping people constructively deal with difficult situations. Materials and methods: A sample of 62 preterm mothers were surveyed postpartum and at 12-month follow-up using socio-demographic and medical questionnaires, and the Basic Hope Inventory (BHI-12). Results: Both after childbirth and 12 months afterwards, the participants' results on basic hope were average, and did not differ significantly. However, the results' trend toward statistical significance indicated that at 12 months the level of basic hope was higher in the participants who did not consider the possibility of becoming preterm mothers. Conclusions: The level of basic hope does not significantly change in preterm mothers in the twelve months after childbirth.

Stress is a process that triggers various physiological, hormonal and psychological mechanisms in response to a threat, which significantly affects the health of an individual. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a lot of social changes that required constant adaptation to unfavorable conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of stress related to this pandemic on pregnant women, mothers of premature infants and their families, and on obstetric complications, particularly preterm birth. A comprehensive literature review was performed using electronic databases such as Pubmed, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Keywords such as: “prematurity”; “pregnancy”; “stress”; “COVID-19” and various combinations of the above were used. Maternal stress and anxiety increase the levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the placenta, which in turn affects the incidence of preterm birth and many other related maternal and neonatal complications. In addition, it was found that SARS-CoV-2 infection may increase the risk of this phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected preterm birth rates and the mental health of mothers of preterm infants, exacerbating their negative experience of having a premature baby. More research is needed to demonstrate the long-term effects of COVID-19 stress on prematurity.