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

Abstract

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). The index group (n = 58) was formed by women who scored above the cutoff for moderate or severe abuse and compared to a control group (n = 60) with regard to pre,- peri-, and postnatal complications as documented in the patient charts.Results. The results show that women with a history of abuse have significantly more prenatal medical complications and infant medical complications in the post- but not perinatal period.Conclusions. Maternal history of abuse significantly impacts the medical course of delivery and the puerperium. Given the prevalence of abusive experiences, this finding is highly relevant from a preventive point of view.