Paucity of intervention research in childhood maltreatment contrasts with the long known relation with mental health disorders: Is trauma research translational enough?

Berthelot, Nicolas; Garon-Bissonnette, Julia; Lemieux, Roxanne; Drouin-Maziade, Christine; Maziade, Michel

doi:10.1016/j.mhp.2020.200189

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Our findings suggest that pregnant women and expecting men who experienced significant adversity during their childhood should be considered as particularly vulnerable and should be closely monitored. Innovative interventions with this population may be necessary [ 56 ] considering that comorbid disorders, as well as disorders that arise from a history of childhood trauma, would be more resistant to treatment [ 21 ]. To date, only a few evidence-based antenatal interventions have been designed to address the specific needs and challenges of pregnant women with histories of childhood trauma [ 57 – 59 ] but it remains to be determined whether or not such psychological interventions contribute to lowering the complex psychiatric symptomatology frequently encountered in this population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cumulative childhood trauma and complex psychiatric symptoms in pregnant women and expecting men

Garon-Bissonnette

Bolduc

Lemieux

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Women and men having been exposed to childhood trauma would be at high risk of various mental health symptoms while awaiting a child. This study aimed to evaluate the association between cumulative childhood trauma and the accumulation of symptoms belonging to different psychiatric problems in pregnant women and expecting men. Methods We first examined prevalence rates of childhood trauma across our samples of 2853 pregnant women and 561 expecting men from the community. Second, we evaluated the association between cumulative childhood trauma and symptom complexity (i.e., the simultaneous presentation of symptoms belonging to multiple psychiatric problems) using subsamples of 1779 pregnant women and 118 expecting men. Participants completed self-reported measures of trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and psychiatric symptoms (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5; Kessler Psychological Distress Scale; State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2; Self and Interpersonal Functioning Scale). Results Trauma was more frequent in pregnant women than in expecting men and in participants reporting sociodemographic risk factors than in those not reporting any. A dose-response relationship was observed between the number of different traumas reported by pregnant women and expecting men and the complexity of their psychiatric symptoms, even when controlling for the variance explained by other risk factors. Women having been exposed to cumulative childhood trauma were 4.95 times more at risk of presenting comorbid psychiatric problems during pregnancy than non-exposed women. Conclusions Childhood trauma is frequent in the general population of pregnant women and expecting men and is associated with symptom complexity during the antenatal period. These findings call for delivering and evaluating innovative trauma-informed antenatal programs to support mental health and adaptation to parenthood in adults having been exposed to childhood trauma.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cumulative childhood trauma and complex psychiatric symptoms in pregnant women and expecting men

Garon-Bissonnette

Bolduc

Lemieux

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…Furthermore, the extent to which evidence-based interventions that promote resilience are being used and implemented in clinical practice with children who have been maltreated is unknown. Research that continues to focus on creating knowledge without consideration for how it is being used or implemented will fail to have the desired outcomes for maltreated children and their families (Berthelot et al, 2019, 2020). Researchers must focus on understanding how knowledge can be applied in the clinical setting to increase resilient outcomes for children who have experienced maltreatment.…”

Section: Gaps In Resilience Research For Children Who Have Been Maltr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research that continues to focus on creating knowledge without consideration for how it is being used or implemented will fail to have the desired outcomes for maltreated children and their families (Berthelot et al, 2019(Berthelot et al, , 2020. Researchers must focus on understanding how knowledge can be applied in the clinical setting to increase resilient outcomes for children who have experienced maltreatment.…”

Section: Gaps In Resilience Research For Children Who Have Been Maltr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, mechanisms and interventions are two of the most understudied areas in the child maltreatment literature. A review by Berthelot and colleagues found that only 19% of child maltreatment studies identified mechanisms, and only 6% reported on treatments (Berthelot et al, 2020). Thus, there are currently significant limitations in the translational nature of child maltreatment research, especially regarding the availability of interventions for use in clinical practice.…”

Section: Child Maltreatment and Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Fostering resilience in children who have been maltreated: A review and call for translational research.

Racine¹,

Eirich²,

Madigan³

2022

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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Public Significance StatementChild maltreatment is a significant public health concern in Canada and is a leading cause of mental health difficulties in adulthood. Despite these pernicious experiences, children can adapt in the face of maltreatment, demonstrating resilient outcomes. We examine the theories, mechanisms, and interventions for promoting resilience for children who have been maltreated. We discuss future directions for the field to increase the translation of knowledge into practice.

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“…However, intervention research remains scarce in the field of childhood maltreatment ( 13 , 14 ) and, in spite of 40 years of research evidence on the intergenerational repercussions of childhood trauma, currently there would be little empirically-supported prenatal intervention specifically designed for pregnant women exposed to childhood maltreatment ( 12 , 15 ). Survivor's Mom Companion (SMC) is a self-study psychoeducational program aiming to provide information about how trauma can affect childbearing and mothering, and to teach skills to improve emotion regulation, the management of PTSD symptoms and to reduce interpersonal reactivity ( 16 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Acceptability of a Prenatal Program for Women With Histories of Childhood Trauma: The Program STEP

et al. 2021

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Background: Childhood trauma would negatively affect pregnant women's mental health and would have intergenerational repercussions. However, there is a paucity of prenatal interventions specifically designed for women exposed to childhood trauma. The study aims to evaluate the acceptability of STEP, a manualized group intervention designed for pregnant women having experienced early life adversity.Methods: The acceptability of STEP was assessed in four phases. In Phase 1, six experts evaluated whether the program activities were pertinent and trauma sensitive. In Phase 2, three parents read the intervention manuals and evaluated whether they considered each session relevant, interesting, and clear. In Phase 3, the program was briefly presented by phone to 309 pregnant women from the community. Women were inquired about their interest in the program, and the reasons for their lack of interest were assessed. In Phase 4, 30 pregnant women exposed to childhood trauma participated in the program and completed anonymous satisfaction questionnaires after each session. Psychological distress was also measured before and after the program.Results: All activities were rated by independent experts as highly pertinent, adequate, and sufficiently safe to be offered to pregnant women. Parents who read through the intervention manuals also considered that the sessions were relevant, clear, and interesting. About half of the pregnant women from the community showed interest in the program. Participants reported very high levels of satisfaction and a significant decrease in psychological distress during the program.Conclusions: Our findings show a high level of convergence among various indicators of program acceptability.

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Paucity of intervention research in childhood maltreatment contrasts with the long known relation with mental health disorders: Is trauma research translational enough?

Abstract: d. Centre d'études interdisciplinaires sur le développement de l'enfant et la famille, 3351 boul. des Forges,

Cited by 8 publications

References 54 publications

Cumulative childhood trauma and complex psychiatric symptoms in pregnant women and expecting men

Cumulative childhood trauma and complex psychiatric symptoms in pregnant women and expecting men

Fostering resilience in children who have been maltreated: A review and call for translational research.

Evaluation of the Acceptability of a Prenatal Program for Women With Histories of Childhood Trauma: The Program STEP

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