AI Article Synopsis
- Maternal postnatal mental health issues, particularly childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD), can negatively affect the relationship between mothers and their children, as well as the development of children aged 0-5 years.
- * A systematic review of 35 studies revealed that maternal CB-PTSD symptoms are linked to poorer mother-infant attachment and child behavior, though findings are complicated by confounding factors and lack of substantial evidence in other areas like breastfeeding and socio-emotional development.
- * There is limited research on the effects of trauma-focused therapy for mothers on child outcomes, and the overall quality of existing studies is low, highlighting the need for more comprehensive investigation and diverse methods.
Article Abstract
Introduction: Maternal postnatal mental health problems may negatively impact child development. Postpartum research has mainly focused on the impact of maternal depression and anxiety due to their high prevalence (13-25 % and 10-18 %, respectively). However, maternal childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD) could be another important risk factor in child development (estimated prevalence: 4.7 %).
Objective: We investigated whether maternal CB-PTSD (symptoms) are associated with a negative mother-child relationship and/or child developmental outcome for children aged 0-5 years. Furthermore, we examined whether maternal trauma-focused therapy can positively impact mother and child outcomes.
Methods: We performed a systematic review by searching three databases (Embase, Medline, PsycInfo). Search terms involved: 'birth or delivery modes', 'PTSD psychological trauma', and 'child development or child behavior'. Two independent reviewers evaluated all eligible papers.
Results: Thirty-five papers (30 samples) were included and qualitatively reported. Results suggest a negative association of maternal CB-PTSD (symptoms) with mother-infant attachment and child behavior. However, confounding factors may explain this association. The evidence on associations with breastfeeding, sleeping, socio-emotional development, and weight gain is insufficient. Research investigating the effect of maternal trauma-focused therapy on a child's outcome is scarce, contradictory, and of low quality.
Conclusion: This systematic review suggests that maternal CB-PTSD may be associated with an increased number of problems in mother-infant attachment and child behavior, but other domains remain scarcely investigated and methodologic issues are present (cross-sectional study design, influence of confounding variables, sample representativeness, diversity in assessment tools). Our results support a multidisciplinary approach to providing early prevention and screening of the maternal mental health state.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105667 | DOI Listing |
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