1-122 - Parenting Infants in the Context of Socio-Demographic Risk and Maternal Trauma Experiences

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Research has documented that women experience remarkably high rates of interpersonal trauma, especially among economically-disadvantaged groups, and the childbearing years are no exception. Studies have indicated that about 20% of women report having experienced childhood maltreatment (e.g., Finkelhor et al., 2009), up to 36% of women report intimate partner violence (IPV) during the perinatal period (e.g., Taillieu & Brownridge, 2009), and 8-10% of pregnant women meet criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; Seng et al., 2009). Accumulating evidence suggests that trauma interferes with caregiving; however, more studies are needed. The current set of papers reports findings from three different longitudinal studies of diverse women and their infants; each examines maternal trauma in a unique way, and different aspects of parenting are represented. The first paper describes how exposure to childhood maltreatment and IPV are related to disrupted/disorganized representations of the unborn child during pregnancy. The second paper reveals that trauma history and prenatal PTSD symptoms strongly predict post-partum mental health, with implications for mother-infant bonding. Results from the third paper identify different profiles of PTSD symptoms during pregnancy, and associations between these profiles and mothers’ subjective experiences of parenting at 12 months post-birth. The fourth paper examines maternal trauma experiences, along with other important predictors, in relation to observed parenting behavior at 16 months post-birth. Collectively, these papers address the myriad ways that maternal trauma impacts caregiving and the mother-infant relationship and suggest new ways of thinking about public health models, including complementary intervention targets with at-risk mother-infant dyads.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Alissa Huth-Bocks, Eastern Michigan University

Individual Presentations

• The Differential Effects of Childhood and Adulthood Interpersonal Trauma on Prenatal Maternal Representations of the Child - Presenting Author: Sarah Ahlfs-Dunn, University of California San Fransisco; Alissa Huth-Bocks, Eastern Michigan University

• Maternal Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress and Perinatal Depression: New Findings with Policy Implications - Presenting Author: Mickey Sperlich, University of Buffalo School of Social Work; Julia Seng, University of Michigan School of Nursing

• Prenatal Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Mothers’ Reported Parenting Difficulties 1-Year Postpartum - Presenting Author: Katherine Guyon-Harris, Eastern Michigan University; Alissa Huth-Bocks, Eastern Michigan University

• Parenting during the Terrible Twos: What Predicts Positive Parenting in a Sample of Women with Childhood Maltreatment Histories? - Presenting Author: Marjorie Beeghly, Wayne State University; Jessica Lee Irwin, Wayne State University; Katherine Rosenblum, Univeristy of Michigan; Maria Muzik, University of Michigan