Persistent symptoms of maternal post‐traumatic stress following childbirth across the first months postpartum: Associations with perturbations in maternal behavior and infant avoidance of social gaze toward mother

Abstract

AbstractRecent literature identifies childbirth as a potentially traumatic event, following which mothers may develop symptoms of Post‐Traumatic‐Stress‐Following‐Childbirth (PTS‐FC). The current study examines whether stable symptoms of PTS‐FC during the early postpartum period may impose risk for perturbations in maternal behavior and infant social‐engagement with mother, controlling for comorbid postpartum internalizing symptoms. Mother‐infant dyads (N = 192) were recruited from the general population, during the third trimester of pregnancy. 49.5% of the mothers were primipara, and 48.4% of the infants were girls. Maternal PTS‐FC was assessed at 3‐day, 1‐month and 4‐month postpartum, via self‐report and clinician‐administered interview. Latent Profile Analysis generated two profiles of symptomology: “Stable‐High‐PTS‐FC” (17.0%), and “Stable‐Low‐PTS‐FC” (83%). Membership in the “Stable‐High‐PTS‐FC” profile associated with perturbed maternal sensitivity, which was in turn significantly associated with infant avoidance of social gaze toward mother (Indirect effect β = −0.15). Results suggest the need for early screening and inform the planning of early preventive interventions.