TABLE 1—

Type and Timing of Stressful Life Events Prior to Conception: US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, 2001

Variable	%
Stressful life events prior to conception
None	80.3
Any stressful life event prior to conception	19.7
1 event	17.3
2 events	2.2
≥ 3 events	0.2
Type of stressful life events prior to conception
Experienced fertility problems
Never	99.6
Ever	0.4
Death of mother prior to conception
No	97.2
Yes	2.8
Death of father prior to conception
No	94.4
Yes	5.6
Death of a child
Never	98.8
Ever	1.2
Divorced prior to conception
No	89.6
Yes	10.4
Separated prior to conception
No	98.3
Yes	1.7
Widowed prior to conception
No	99.8
Yes	0.2
Timing of stressful life events prior to conception
Unknown timing prior to conceptiona
None	98.1
Any	1.9
< 1 y prior to conceptionb
None	95.7
Any	4.3
≥ 1 y prior to conceptionb
None	85.1
Any	14.9

Note. Data are weighted percentages. National Center for Education Statistics rounding rules applied to unweighted numbers. Weighted total: n = 3 774 441; unweighted total: n = 9350.

^aStressful life events for which an exact event date was not available, including fertility problems or death of a child.

^bStressful life events for which an exact event date was available, including death of mother or father, divorce, marital separation, or widowed.