Abstract
The aim of the study was to explore the pathways by which childhood sexual abuse (CSA), psychological and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy, and other covariates relate to each other and to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the postpartum period. The sample comprised 456 women who gave birth at a maternity service for high-risk pregnancies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, interviewed at 6–8 weeks after birth. A path analysis was carried out to explore the postulated pathways between exposures and outcome. Trauma History Questionnaire, Conflict Tactics Scales and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist were used to assess information about exposures of main interest and outcome. The link between CSA and PTSD symptoms was mediated by history of trauma, psychiatric history, psychological IPV, and fear of childbirth during pregnancy. Physical IPV was directly associated with postnatal PTSD symptoms, whereas psychological IPV connection seemed to be partially mediated by physical abuse and fear of childbirth during pregnancy. The role of CSA, IPV, and other psychosocial characteristics on the occurrence of PTSD symptoms following childbirth as well as the intricate network of these events should be acknowledged in clinic and intervention approaches.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro/FAPERJ (grant no. E-26/111.161/2011). AGSO was supported by the FAPERJ (grant no. E-26/101.563/2014). MER was supported partially by the Brazilian National Research Council (grant no. 302224/2013-0).
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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Oliveira, A.G.e.S.d., Reichenheim, M.E., Moraes, C.L. et al. Childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence during pregnancy, and posttraumatic stress symptoms following childbirth: a path analysis. Arch Womens Ment Health 20, 297–309 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0705-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0705-6