Linkages Between Childhood Maltreatment, Intimate Partner Violence, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Pregnant Hispanic Women: A Network Analysis

Abstract

Pregnant Hispanic women are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in part due to greater risk of childhood maltreatment, intimate partner violence (IPV), and pregnancy-related vulnerabilities. However, PTSD, is a highly heterogenous diagnosis with numerous presentations. Individual PTSD symptoms may be differentially associated with specific types of maltreatment, IPV. Determining how IPV exposure across the lifespan is associated with specific symptoms of PTSD in pregnant Hispanic women is necessary to develop group-relevant models of this disorder and targeted interventions. The present study examined a network model of PTSD symptoms, childhood maltreatment, and adulthood IPV in a sample of pregnant Hispanic women ( N = 198). Childhood emotional abuse and adulthood psychological distress had the highest bridge centrality. These types of exposures were most strongly associated with social isolation. Childhood emotional abuse was associated with more individual PTSD symptoms than any IPV type. These findings suggest that associations between PTSD symptoms and different types of IPV exposure vary. In addition, robust associations between childhood emotional abuse and PTSD symptoms suggest that this domain may be particularly important for the clinical assessment and intervention for pregnant women.