Lifetime physical and sexual abuse and the risk for depression symptoms in the first 8 months after birth

Abstract

Despite the growing body of evidence on the significance of postpartum depression, little research has explored the contribution of lifetime or current abuse to postpartum depression. One hundred-thirty-nine women were assessed during their third trimester of pregnancy and followed for 2, 4, 6, and 8 months postpartum for abuse status and depression symptoms. Predictors of postpartum depression were also assessed. Few women reported current abuse experiences, although 37% reported having lifetime physical or sexual abuse or both. Women with a lifetime history of abuse were 3.6-8.4 times more likely to experience postpartum depression than their nonabused peers at each measurement time. This effect steadily increases during the first 6 months after birth and decreases at the 8th month. These findings extend recent reports of the chronicity of abuse and have implications for care providers. The standard of care for abuse assessments may need to be expanded to include consideration of lifetime physical and sexual abuse experiences of pregnant and postpartum women.

Physical and sexual lifetime violence: prevalence and influence on fear of childbirth before, during and after delivery

“…We chose a definition based on lifetime experience considering the large body of literature showing severe health consequences from violence in childhood as well as in adult life [25,26]. Our results are comparable to the worldwide prevalence of one-third of all women experiencing violence reported 10 years ago [15] and more recently in a western sample of pregnant women [27]. Our results call for further attention, especially since the prevalence of violence is almost universally under-reported due to the sensitivity of the subject [13].…”

The role of intimate partner violence and other health-related social factors on postpartum common mental disorders: a survey-based structural equation modeling analysis

“…While there are effectively some studies showing psychological [35,37,42], physical [38] or both types of IPV [41] as risk factors for maternal depression and anxiety, research suggesting a significant role of both forms of IPV are generally based on pooled variables or on disjoint models, which fail to properly evaluate their link.…”

Adult physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and postpartum depression, a population based, prospective study of 53,065 women in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study

“…Several studies show that women reporting lifetime abuse, recent intimate partner abuse, or child abuse are considered more prone to develop PPD than their counterparts [10, 13–16]. The combination of abuse and depression is complicated, as both stressors put women at elevated risk for health problems and adverse pregnancy outcomes [7, 17].…”