Objective Assess the amount of agreement between the classification of stress from the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Assessment of Stress portion of the Prenatal Psychosocial Profile (PPP) among pregnant women. Methods A secondary data analysis on a cross-sectional study of 301 pregnant women from the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas who were exposed to Hurricane Katrina was conducted. Women with complete data (219) were analyzed. Women scoring in the third tertile of each instrument were compared. The kappa statistic was used to assess agreement between instruments. Additional comparisons were made with three instruments that measure other important psychosocial constructs that could be related to stress: the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and the Assessments of Support (partner and other support) and Self-Esteem from the PPP. Results No significant difference was found between the two tests. The PSS and the PPP were both statistically significantly correlated to each other (ρ=0.71, p<.01). Thirty-five women were classified discordantly resulting in a Kappa Coefficient of 0.61 (95% CI 0.50-0.72, p<.01). No significant differences were found between these two instruments in correlation with the EDS (PPP, r=0.76; PSS, r=0.72; p<.01 for each), partner support (PPP, r=−0.47; PSS r=−0.46; p<.01 for each), other support (PPP, r=−0.31; PSS r=−0.32; p<.01 for each) and self-esteem (PPP, r=−0.41; PSS, r=−0.52; p<.01 for each), respectively. Conclusions Given the similarities between the PSS and PPP, researchers are encouraged to choose and administer one instrument to participants, or to use the instruments in combination as an external reliability check.

Introduction Adolescent childbearing has been viewed as a social, political, and public health priority since the 1970s. Research has primarily focused on the negative consequences of teen pregnancy; less research has explored factors associated with healthy pregnancy and birth experiences in this population. Methods Using open-ended and qualitative techniques, researchers performed individual interviews with fifteen adolescent mothers (15–19 years of age) recruited from a Women’s and Children’s Clinic in Southern Louisiana, who had experienced a healthy pregnancy and bore a full-term, normal birth weight infant. We used a resiliency framework to identify factors that may have supported positive health outcomes despite risks associated with low-income and/or marginalized minority status. Results A total of 15 mothers of multiple racial/ethnic identities were included in the analysis. Mothers discussed potential protective factors that we classified as either assets (internal factors) or resources (external factors). Mothers demonstrated strong assets including self-efficacy and self-acceptance and important resources including familial support and partner support during pregnancy which may have contributed to their resiliency. Discussion Ensuring access to social and structural supports as well as supporting adolescent-friendly health and social policies may be key to promoting healthy maternal and infant outcomes among young women who become pregnant.