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Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Choi, KW; Sikkema, KJ; Vythilingum, B; Geerts, L; Faure, SC; Watt, MH; Roos, A; Stein, DJ
Published in: Journal of affective disorders
March 2017

Women who have experienced childhood trauma may be at risk for postpartum depression, increasing the likelihood of negative outcomes among their children. Predictive pathways from maternal childhood trauma to child outcomes, as mediated by postpartum depression, require investigation.A longitudinal sample of South African women (N=150) was followed through pregnancy and postpartum. Measures included maternal trauma history reported during pregnancy; postpartum depression through six months; and maternal-infant bonding, infant development, and infant physical growth at one year. Structural equation models tested postpartum depression as a mediator between maternal experiences of childhood trauma and children's outcomes. A subset of women (N=33) also participated in a lab-based emotional Stroop paradigm, and their responses to fearful stimuli at six weeks were explored as a potential mechanism linking maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and child outcomes.Women with childhood trauma experienced greater depressive symptoms through six months postpartum, which then predicted negative child outcomes at one year. Mediating effects of postpartum depression were significant, and persisted for maternal-infant bonding and infant growth after controlling for covariates and antenatal distress. Maternal avoidance of fearful stimuli emerged as a potential affective mechanism.Limitations included modest sample size, self-report measures, and unmeasured potential confounders.Findings suggest a mediating role of postpartum depression in the intergenerational transmission of negative outcomes. Perinatal interventions that address maternal trauma histories and depression, as well as underlying affective mechanisms, may help interrupt cycles of disadvantage, particularly in high-trauma settings such as South Africa.

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Published In

Journal of affective disorders

DOI

EISSN

1573-2517

ISSN

0165-0327

Publication Date

March 2017

Volume

211

Start / End Page

107 / 115

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • South Africa
  • Psychiatry
  • Pregnancy
  • Postpartum Period
  • Parturition
  • Object Attachment
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Infant
  • Humans
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Choi, K. W., Sikkema, K. J., Vythilingum, B., Geerts, L., Faure, S. C., Watt, M. H., … Stein, D. J. (2017). Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism. Journal of Affective Disorders, 211, 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.004
Choi, Karmel W., Kathleen J. Sikkema, Bavi Vythilingum, Lut Geerts, Sheila C. Faure, Melissa H. Watt, Annerine Roos, and Dan J. Stein. “Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism.Journal of Affective Disorders 211 (March 2017): 107–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.004.
Choi KW, Sikkema KJ, Vythilingum B, Geerts L, Faure SC, Watt MH, et al. Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism. Journal of affective disorders. 2017 Mar;211:107–15.
Choi, Karmel W., et al. “Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism.Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 211, Mar. 2017, pp. 107–15. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.004.
Choi KW, Sikkema KJ, Vythilingum B, Geerts L, Faure SC, Watt MH, Roos A, Stein DJ. Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism. Journal of affective disorders. 2017 Mar;211:107–115.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of affective disorders

DOI

EISSN

1573-2517

ISSN

0165-0327

Publication Date

March 2017

Volume

211

Start / End Page

107 / 115

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • South Africa
  • Psychiatry
  • Pregnancy
  • Postpartum Period
  • Parturition
  • Object Attachment
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Infant
  • Humans