Post-traumatic stress symptoms, parenting stress and mother-child relationships following childbirth and at 2 years postpartum

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms at 2 years postpartum and the relationship between such symptoms and both self-reported parenting stress and perceptions of the mother-child relationship. 81 women completed measures of childbirth-related PTS symptoms at 6 weeks and 3 months postpartum; these results were used in an exploration of their predictive links with mother-child relationship and parenting measures at 2 years. 17.3% of respondents reported some PTS symptoms at a clinically significant level at 2 years postpartum. However, these symptoms were only weakly linked to parenting stress and were not related to mothers' perceptions of their children. However earlier PTS symptoms within 3 months of childbirth did show limited associations with parenting stress at 2 years but no association with child relationship outcomes once current depression was taken into account. Implications for clinical practice and the concept of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder are discussed.

Infant interest in their mother's face is associated with maternal psychological health

“…Early post traumatic stress symptoms have also been associated with later parenting distress (McDonald et al, 2011). Given the prevalence of psychological symptoms in mothers postnatally, there is cause to consider the potential associations between maternal psychological health, early infant development and bonding, and infant interest in interacting with his or her mother.…”

Psychopathology and parenting: An examination of perceived and observed parenting in mothers with depression and PTSD

“…When controlling for co-morbid depression, postpartum PTSD symptoms were not a statistically significant predictors of parenting. Similarly, McDonald et al (2011) examined the link between PTSD symptoms due to traumatic childbirth and self-reported parenting stress and mothers’ perception of their child at two years postpartum, controlling for co-morbid depression. Their results show that childbirth-related PTSD solely predicted parenting distress.…”

Construct and content validity of the Greek version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale (G-BSS)

“…Birth satisfaction is thus a retrospective reconstruction related directly to the salient events surrounding the experience of birth (Hollins Martin and Fleming, 2011). The woman's individual evaluation of her own birth experience is important, since this may potentially be a potent indicator of perinatal mental health outcome, for example, birth trauma, which would be anticipated to be experienced as a negative event, may be associated with the experience and manifestation of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (Fones, 1996) and a consequential enduring impact on mother-child interactions and family relationships McDonald et al, 2011). It is also implicitly important to consider the experience of birth from the woman's perspective, a central tenet of care delivery philosophy enshrined in policy as early as the influential Changing Childbirth (Department of Health, 1993) document.…”