Abstract
To identify traumatic stress symptoms among expectant parents with a confirmed congenital anomaly and describe the ways in which a maternal-fetal care center, with an embedded multidisciplinary psychosocial support team, provides specific trauma-informed strategies to mitigate psychological distress from the first patient contact throughout prenatal care practice. Traumatic stress symptoms in response to the confirmed congenital anomaly were assessed using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. With Institutional Review Board approval, a total of 4,391 pregnant parents and 3,570 partners were analyzed based on routine universal screening performed in a single maternal-fetal care center. Exploratory, descriptive analyses examined rates of overall traumatic stress symptoms and subscale scores. 28.7% of pregnant parents and 24.2% of expectant partners reported elevated traumatic stress symptoms in response to their confirmed congenital anomaly, with clinically significant risk endorsed among 16.2% and 13.4%, respectively. Symptoms of intrusion and avoidance were most notable among parents. Methods of trauma-informed care provided by the multidisciplinary care team in collaboration with the psychosocial support team to identify, support, and intervene with high-risk parents are described. Recognizing that expectant parents who receive a prenatal diagnosis of a congenital anomaly are at heightened risk for experiencing traumatic stress symptoms, multidisciplinary care teams should offer trauma-informed strategies and psychosocial support services, including parental mental health screening, psychosocial assessment, and clinical intervention, as part of routine prenatal care to reduce the negative effect of emotional distress in the expectant parents prior to birth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
