Complications during pregnancy, peri- and postnatal period in a sample of women with a history of child abuse.

Background: As a proposed risk factor for infant and child development, maternal history of abuse has been a frequent target of investigation. However, there have been no controlled studies about the impact of maternal history of abuse on the medical course of pregnancy, the peri- and postnatal period.

Method: All women with a newborn child were contacted by mail and presented with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ).