The results of the research to date suggest that further examination of the cross-cultural issues in optimism/pes-simism and health-related quality of life among pregnant women is warranted. This research was undertaken to explore the differences among a three-sample matched cohort of pregnant women at the same stage in their pregnancies in Ghana, China, and the U.S. The specific aims of this research were to 1) identify if and to what extent optimism and pessimism vary across similar populations of pregnant women in three different countries; 2) determine if and to what extent self-assessed quality of life scores vary among similar populations of pregnant women in three different countries, and 3) determine if optimism and/or pessimism is predictive of or associated with current self-perceived health status and/or selfassessed Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and how that might vary by culture.