Psychosocial Risk Screening during Pregnancy: Additional Risks Identified during a Second Interview

The Prenatal Risk Overview (PRO) screens for 13 psychosocial risk factors associated with poor birth outcomes. This study assessed the extent to which risk factors unreported during an intake interview were identified during a subsequent interview. A total of 708 pregnant women were screened and re-screened at three urban community health care centers between July 2007 and April 2010. Study participants were predominantly young (mean age 23.5 years), unmarried (75.1%) women of color (92.5%); 38.4% were foreign-born. The proportional increase in participants identified as being at risk for individual domains at the second interview ranged from 5.6% to 49.0% for the combined Moderate/High Risk classification and from 5.6% to 73.0% for the High Risk only classification. For women whose health and well-being are challenged by poverty, violence, social isolation, and other stressors, both initial screening and repeat screening offer opportunities to alleviate identified risks.