[Construction of questionnaires for the study of psychological components in the etiology of somatic diseases. The example of prematurity].

A study whose aim was to define the role of psychological factors in prematurity etiology has led us to develop a methodology for evaluation of personality which could have a connection with the occurrence of a premature birth. The proposed method--interviews based on free association followed by the construction of questionnaires serving as a base for an epidemiological study--seem to us applicable in order to show the psychological components which intervene in the occurrence of a somatic illness.