Childhood Women Research Articles

Food addiction and dietary restraint in postpartum women: The role of childhood trauma exposure and postpartum depression

The early postpartum period is a sensitive time for understanding women's high-risk eating (i.e., eating behavior associated with negative health outcomes) given potential long-term eating behavior implications for infants. Food addiction and dietary restraint are two high-risk eating phenotypes associated with long-term negative health outcomes that have been theoretically linked. Yet, no research has considered how much these constructs overlap during the early postpartum period. The present study sought to characterize these two high-risk eating phenotypes in postpartum women to examine whether these are distinct constructs with specific etiologies and to inform future targets of intervention. Women (N = 277) in the early postpartum period reported on high-risk eating, childhood trauma exposure, depression symptoms, and pre-pregnancy weight. Women's height was measured and pre-pregnancy BMI was calculated. We conducted bivariate correlations and path analysis to characterize the relationship between food addiction and dietary restraint, controlling for pre-pregnancy BMI. Results showed that food addiction and dietary restraint were not significantly associated and that women's childhood trauma exposure and postpartum depression were associated with food addiction but not dietary restraint. Sequential mediation revealed that higher levels of childhood trauma exposure were associated with worse postpartum depression and, in turn, greater food addiction during the early postpartum period. Findings suggest that food addiction and dietary restraint have distinct psychosocial predictors and etiological pathways, which suggests important construct validity differences between the two high-risk eating phenotypes. Interventions seeking to address food addiction in postpartum women and mitigate the impact of this high-risk eating phenotype on the next generation may benefit from treating postpartum depression, especially in women with histories of childhood trauma exposure.

Knowledge, experiences and attitudes of midwives in maternity care in encounters with pregnant women with obesity - are adverse childhood experiences understood and explored as a contributing factor?

ObjectiveTo explore knowledge, experiences and attitudes of midwives in maternity care in encounters with pregnant women with obesity, and whether they investigate adverse childhood experiences as a contributing factor to the weight challenges. DesignSemi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore midwives’ experiences of providing maternity care for women with obesity. For data analysis, Malterud's systematic text condensation was used, a method for thematic cross-case analysis of qualitative data with an inductive approach. Participants and settingNine midwives working in maternity care in Central Norway. The interviews were conducted online or at the midwives’ workplace. FindingsThe midwives routinely investigated pregnant women's childhood, but few saw a link between adverse childhood experiences and obesity. Pregnant women with obesity were perceived by the midwives as particularly vulnerable, which led to a sensitive, individualised approach focusing on trust and relationship building. This approach, in addition to pointing out complications that can occur with obesity, was described as a balancing act. The midwives described preventative healthcare as a natural task, but hectic days with many competing tasks were seen as an obstacle. The women's motivation for lifestyle change was experienced differently by the midwives; some described strong motivation while others mentioned poor motivation. The midwives found it reassuring to have experience to draw on in broaching difficult topics. Key conclusions and implications for practiceMidwives’ many years of experience enable them to approach obese pregnant women in an individual and careful way. Their mission in public health could be better utilised if they explored negative childhood experiences in relation to pregnant women's weight challenges.

Young‐age exposure to armed conflict and women's experiences of intimate partner violence

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines the legacy of experiencing armed conflict in childhood and adolescence on women's later risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in four ex‐Soviet countries.BackgroundPrior research is largely concerned with male soldiers and perpetration, and rarely considers when, during the life course, conflict occurs. This study focuses on civilians, women's victimization and pays attention to the age at conflict exposure. This aspect is crucial to understand if war has lasting consequences for family violence, beyond contemporaneous effects. This paper further contributes by providing insights on driving mechanisms.MethodThe study combines cross‐national data on IPV from the Demographic and Health Surveys (N = 17,787) and geo‐referenced conflict information from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. Using linear models with fixed effects, it compares the IPV outcomes of women exposed to conflict before the end of their teens with nonexposed peers and older women.ResultsYoung‐age conflict exposure is associated with greater adult IPV risk. Childhood exposure (ages 0–10) matters the most, especially for physical forms of IPV. Results are not driven by migration. Analyses of potential pathways show no relationship between war and changing marriage market conditions, or attitudes towards IPV in women. Conversely, men experiencing conflict in late adolescence (16–19) are more likely to condone violence against partners. Furthermore, women's childhood exposure to conflict correlates with having a violent father.ConclusionWar in young‐ages has long‐term implications for family violence. These appear in part related to greater exposure to family violence, and to a normalization of the use of violence in future potential perpetrators.

Adult Daughters of Alcoholic Parents-A Qualitative Study of These Women's Pregnancy Experiences and the Potential Implications for Antenatal Care Provision.

The adult children of alcoholic parents are at increased risk of having health problems compared to the adult children of nonalcoholic parents. Little is known about how growing up with alcoholic parents affects women’s experiences when pregnant. The objectives of this study were to explore how adverse childhood experiences related to parental alcohol abuse affect women during their pregnancy and to assess the potential implications of women’s experiences for antenatal care provision. Twelve in-depth interviews were performed with women who were brought up by an alcoholic mother and/or father. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the data. Two main categories were identified: ‘establishing relationships and having social support’ and ‘antenatal care encounters and concerns during pregnancy’. Women’s trust in others in adult life was impacted by their upbringing. Strained relationships with their parents and few friends meant that the women primarily relied on their partners for support. Neither antenatal care providers nor women talked about women’s childhood experiences at the visits. The women described concerns related to the baby’s health, lack of predictability and control during the pregnancy, as well as apprehensiveness regarding birth and motherhood. The potential implications for practice include systematic screening for adverse childhood experiences, antenatal preparation classes, parenting courses, and post-graduate training.

Body composition and eating behavior in non-professional adolescent female dancers

Dance is one of the most practiced sports in women's childhood and adolescence. It is often difficult for dancers to maintain a normal body composition without changing their eating habits, despite the presence of high intensity training. The study aims to investigate, through nutritional habits and body composition, the impact of this sports regime in the prepubertal period. Two groups of 10 adolescent dancers of classic and modern style were evaluated in terms of anthropometric parameters and hydration. Lifestyle, eating habits, adherence to Mediterranean diet, characteristics of menstrual cycle and risk stratification of Athletes' Triad Syndrome were evaluated through questionnaires. The data were reinterpreted based on the presence or absence of menarche. The average BMI value was within the normal range (17.9±2.2 kg/m2) in both groups. No significant differences emerged for anthropometric parameters and body composition between the two groups with the exclusion of the suprailiac fold which was significantly lower in G2 (classical: 0.1±0.1 mm) compared to G1 (modern: 11.0±6.6 mm) P<0.001. Instead, differences observed (P<0.05) was related to the presence or absence of the menstrual cycle. Despite the poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet, there was no evidence of risk of developing eating disorders or Athletes' Triad Syndrome. The training of classical and modern dance does not seem to have any negative impact on the body composition especially in pre-pubertal age. The onset of the menarche determines the major modification of the body composition.

For the Children: Notions of Childhood in Women's Narratives of Home in Rural Newfoundland*

AbstractWhen rural women involved in a research project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada told stories about home, many shared a common narrative of a changing rural childhood. I discuss the ways in which these women's narratives engaged with notions of change in relation to childhood in rural Newfoundland. I argue that research on changing notions of childhood and how these affect the residential decisions of parents and mothers is required to better understand the reasons people move to or away from rural areas. This topic deserves broader attention from scholars and policy makers.

On the issue of complications of typhus in the genital area in women.

Relatively rarely, the course of acute infectious diseases remains without any effect on the functions and anatomical relations of the female genital parts. With a number of diseases of this kind, both in mature and in childhood women, namely, with cholera, typhoid and relapsing fever, dysentery and croupous pneumonia, as well as smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, influenza, etc., inflammatory hyperemia of the reproductive apparatus.

Influences of adversity across the lifespan on respiratory sinus arrhythmia during pregnancy.

There is limited understanding of factors across the lifespan that influence pregnant women's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), which could have implications for their health and offspring development. We examined associations among 162 English- and Spanish-speaking pregnant women's childhood maltreatment history, emotion dysregulation, recent life stress, and resting RSA during the third trimester. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that more severe childhood maltreatment history (95% confidence interval (CI) [0.26, 0.63]) and higher emotion dysregulation (95% CI [0.001, 0.006]) predicted more stress during pregnancy, and childhood maltreatment history interacted with emotion dysregulation to predict resting RSA (95% CI [-0.04, -0.0003]). Exploratory analyses revealed that women's health-related stress during pregnancy mediated the relation between emotion dysregulation and RSA regardless of childhood maltreatment severity (95% CI [-0.007, -0.002]). These findings suggest that women's resting RSA during pregnancy may reflect physical and emotional stress accumulation across the lifespan and that relations between early life adversity and prenatal psychophysiology may be buffered by protective factors, such as emotion regulation. In addition, these findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between types of prenatal stress. Given the implications for women's health and offspring development, we urge researchers to continue exploring factors associated with pregnant women's psychophysiology.

Social Worker and Midwife Decision Making Regarding Child Protection Risk and the Unborn Baby: A Qualitative Study

A newborn baby is vulnerable to abuse and neglect, and the professional role may involve assessment before the baby is born. The aim of this paper is to explore the perspectives and experiences of midwives and child protection social workers regarding the protection of unborn babies within Northern Ireland. Data were gathered using four focus groups (14 midwives and 16 child protection social workers) within one Health and Social Care Trust. The data were analysed in terms of understanding risk factors and forming a professional judgement. The mental wellbeing of the pregnant woman, drug use, alcohol use, domestic violence, the pregnant woman's childhood experiences, gestation period and antenatal care attendance were the main risks identified. Observations, engaging with the pregnant woman and using ‘soft intelligence’ were key aspects in forming a professional judgement. The appraisal of the ability of the pregnant woman to recognise danger was an important moderating factor, and perhaps formed part of a professional judgement heuristic to assist in making sense of wide‐ranging information about diverse risks.‘Explore[s] the perspectives and experiences of midwives and child protection social workers regarding the protection of unborn babies within Northern Ireland’Key Practitioner Messages Identified risk factors included mental wellbeing, age, feelings about the pregnancy, drug and alcohol use, domestic violence, the pregnant woman's childhood experiences, gestation period and antenatal care attendance. Pregnant women were unable to recognise the dangers in misusing illegal or prescription drugs, excessive alcohol consumption and initiating/maintaining relationships with sex offenders. Key skills in forming a professional judgement involved engagement with the pregnant woman, professionals' experience and observations, and the use of ‘soft intelligence’.

Couples data from north-western Tanzania: Insights from a survey of male partners of women enrolled in the MAISHA cluster randomized trial of an intimate partner violence prevention intervention.

Globally, around 30% of ever-partnered women have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) during their lifetime. To date, most research into causes and prevention of IPV involves surveys of women, with little research into risk-factors for male perpetration. This paper describes a survey of male partners of women participating in the MAISHA cluster randomised trial (CRT) of an IPV prevention intervention, in Mwanza City, Tanzania. Using linked couples' data, we explore man-, woman-, and relationship-/household-level factors associated with physical and sexual IPV. Women were interviewed at baseline and 29-months follow-up. At follow-up, women were asked for consent to invite their partner to participate in the male survey. We describe response rates for the women's follow-up and male partners' surveys, and identify factors associated with women's consent to approach partners. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore factors associated with women's past-year experiences of physical and sexual IPV. 512 (65%) partnered women consented for the partner to be approached, higher among intervention than control women. 425 (83%) male partners were interviewed. Women consenting were disproportionately likely to be in longer-term relationships. Past-year IPV was associated with lower consent among control women, but greater consent in the intervention arm. Factors associated with increased odds of physical IPV were women's childhood experiences of abuse, young age, women's lower income and women's attitudes justifying IPV. Sexual IPV was associated with women's childhood experiences of abuse, young age, educational disparity within couple, men's alcohol use and women's poor mental health. We successfully conducted a survey of male partners with the full consent of women trial participants. The breadth of factors associated with IPV demonstrates the need for IPV prevention interventions to work with women and men, and specifically couples. Interventions should address risk-factors for both physical and sexual IPV.

Lifetime experiences of violence against women and men in Sweden.

Aims: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine the prevalence of lifetime exposure to sexual, physical and psychological violence among a representative sample of women and men in Sweden, and to analyze if there were gender differences regarding the types of violence the participants were exposed to and by whom it was perpetrated. Methods: A survey containing questions about lifetime experiences of sexual, physical and psychological violence was sent to a national sample of 10,000 women and 10,000 men aged 18-74; 56.8% of the women and 46.5% of the men agreed to participate. Results: Sexual violence in childhood was reported by 26.4% of women and 22.1% experienced sexual violence in adulthood. Among men, 11% disclosed experiences of sexual violence in childhood and 4.5% in adulthood. Physical violence was experienced by 39.3% of women in childhood and by 18.8% as adults, often by a present or former partner. Among men, 59.3% were exposed to physical violence during childhood, often by a peer, and 20.4% as adults. Psychological violence in childhood was experienced by 58.1% of women in childhood and by 21.8% in adulthood. Among male respondents, 69.2% reported experiences of physiological violence in childhood, often by a peer, and 9.4% in adulthood. Conclusions: Lifetime violence exposure is common in the Swedish population. Though it affects both women and men, the patterns of type of violence and perpetrators are different. The results suggest that violence prevention early in life is important to target.

Context, Types, and Consequences of Violence Across the Life Course: A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Transgender Women Living With HIV

Violence is a known driver of HIV vulnerability among transgender (trans) women, who are disproportionately impacted by HIV globally. Violence is also a barrier to accessing HIV prevention, treatment, and support. Yet, little is known about the everyday experiences of violence faced by trans women living with HIV, who live at the intersection of a marginalized gender identity and physical health condition. To address this gap, this study draws on semi-structured, individual interviews conducted 2017-2018 with a purposive sample (selected based on diverse identities) of trans women living with HIV (n = 11) participating in a large, community-based cohort study in three Canadian provinces. Framework analysis was used to identify key themes, patterns within themes between participants, and patterns across themes among participants. Findings showed that trans women living with HIV experience specific contexts of violence shaped at the intersection of stigma based on gender identity, gender expression, and HIV status, among other identities/experiences. Violence experienced in childhood (e.g., familial rejection, bullying) increased trans women's likelihood of being exposed to a violent social context in young adulthood (e.g., state violence perpetuated by the police, interpersonal violence perpetuated by sexual partners, and community violence perpetuated by society-at-large/the general public), which increased trans women's HIV vulnerability; once living with HIV trans women were subjected to discursive violence from healthcare providers. These multiple forms of violence have serious consequences for trans women living with HIV's ongoing social, mental, and physical well-being. The findings suggest that interventions are urgently needed to reduce violence against trans women in childhood and young adulthood, in addition to reducing violence against trans women living with HIV perpetuated by healthcare providers in adulthood, to both proactively and responsively promote their safety, health, and well-being.

The Role of Childhood Adversity in the Development of Gestational Diabetes

The influence of women's childhood psychosocial environment and subsequent preconception mental health on risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus is unclear. This study examines this relationship. Data from a population-based cohort study, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, were used. A total of 6,317 women with no pre-existing diabetes were followed from 1996 (aged 18-23 years) until 2015. Gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis was self-reported. Exposures to eight subcategories of adverse childhood experiences were recalled. Individual subcategories and total number of adverse childhood experiences were examined. Log-binomial regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to estimate RRs and 95% CIs. Analyses were adjusted for early life, preconception, and antenatal gestational diabetes mellitus risk factors. Effect modification by preconception mental health was tested using cross-product terms. Analyses were conducted in 2018. Among 11,556 pregnancies, 4.7% were complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus. Compared with women not exposed to adverse childhood experiences, exposure to any three adverse childhood experiences (6% of women, adjusted RR=1.73, 95% CI=1.02, 3.01) or four or more adverse childhood experiences (7%, adjusted RR=1.76, 95% CI=1.04, 2.99) was associated with elevated gestational diabetes mellitus risk in women with preconception depressive symptoms. Among the subcategories of adverse childhood experiences, physical abuse, and household substance abuse were associated with higher gestational diabetes mellitus risk. Adverse childhood experiences were not associated with gestational diabetes mellitus in women without depressive symptoms before pregnancy (p=0.01, for interaction). These findings suggest that, in addition to primary prevention of childhood adversity, strategies to curb poor mental health trajectories among women exposed to adverse childhood experiences may contribute to prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gender and generation perspectives in the narratives of sexually abused women in childhood.

ABSTRACTObjective:to analyze the narratives of sexually abused women in childhood, identifying issues related to gender and generation. Method:descriptive research with a qualitative approach, based on 214 reports selected from the Brazilian campaign #primeiroassedio (first harassment), which took place on Twitter social network, collected from a structured instrument. Thematic content analysis was used. Results:girls were the main victims of sexual abuse. The perpetrators were mostly male and people they knew. Five categories emerged from the narratives: Sexual abuse in the aggressors’ discourse; The child as the object of sexual pleasure; Violated childhood; Victims’ guilty feelings; and Repercussions of sexual abuse experienced in childhood. Conclusion:sexual abuse often occurs in the family context and, even if sometimes veiled, the submission of girls’ power in gender relations and of children in generation relationships is evident. Analyzing sexual abuse under the categories of gender and generation contributes to an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon, directing practices more effectively to their coping.

Family Histories and Teen Pregnancy in the United States and Canada.

This study took a long view of childhood experiences that can contribute to the risk of teen pregnancy in the U.S. and Canada, two countries with different norms and policies surrounding family life and inequality. Teenage pregnancy is a major life experience arising from life course trajectories unfolding over a young woman's childhood. Cross-national comparisons can elucidate family-based pathways while embedding youth within broader national contexts of the U.S. and Canada, which are similar in some respects yet different in others. Longitudinal data from the U.S. NLSY79 Young Adult Survey (n = 3,122) and the Canadian NLSCY (n = 2,517) connected childhood histories to teenage pregnancy. Competing risk models estimated the risk of teenage pregnancy with family structure changes and episodes in poverty during childhood. Teenage pregnancy, family change, and poverty were more common in the U.S. In the U.S., only multiple experiences of instability and poverty were associated with greater risk of teenage pregnancy, but, in Canada, any experience of childhood disadvantage was associated with elevated risk. The risk of teen pregnancy was higher among both U.S. and Canadian adolescents from more unstable and economically insecure families, and that link between cumulative experiences of childhood disadvantage and adolescent pregnancy was stronger in Canada. Policies and interventions to reduce teen pregnancy must address childhood socioeconomic disadvantage.

Gender-based disparities in the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult health: findings from a national study in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been linked to an increased risk of health and social problems throughout life. Studies on gender differences from developing countries are scarce. In this paper, we will examine gender variations in the types of reported ACEs and gender-specific relationships between cumulative ACEs and physical and mental health, and Risky Health Behaviors (RHB) in adulthood in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).MethodsA cross sectional national study was conducted in all of the 13 regions in KSA in 2013 using the ACE- International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the relationship between 4 + ACEs and physical, mental health and RHBs for both men and women separately after adjusting for age, education, marital status and current employment.ResultsThe total number of participants was 10,156 and women comprised 48% of the sample. The majority of respondents (80%) reported at least one ACE. Women had higher percentages of < =2 ACEs (65% vs 55%; p <0.05) while men were more likely to have 4+ ACEs (33% vs 25%; p < 0.05). When compared to participants with 0 ACE, men who reported 4+ ACEs were associated with the highest likelihood of using drugs (OR = 9.7; 95% CI: 6.4-14.5) and drinking alcohol (OR = 9.2; 95% CI: 6.3-13.6). On the other hand, women who experienced 4+ ACEs were associated with the highest likelihood of depression (OR = 7.0; 95% CI: 5.2-9.4), anxiety (OR = 6.4; 95% CI: 5.0-8.2) and other mental illnesses (OR = 7.4; 95% CI: 5.2-10.6). As for chronic diseases, abused men and women in childhood showed similarly a twofold increased risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and obesity when compared to non-abused participants.ConclusionFindings highlight the need to consider gender specific differences in the development of preventive strategies to address ACEs in KSA.

Childhood socioeconomic status and childhood maltreatment: Distinct associations with brain structure

The present study examined the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES), childhood maltreatment, and the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala between the ages of 25 and 36 years. Previous work has linked both low SES and maltreatment with reduced hippocampal volume in childhood, an effect attributed to childhood stress. In 46 adult subjects, only childhood maltreatment, and not childhood SES, predicted hippocampal volume in regression analyses, with greater maltreatment associated with lower volume. Neither factor was related to amygdala volume. When current SES and recent interpersonal stressful events were also considered, recent interpersonal stressful events predicted smaller hippocampal volumes over and above childhood maltreatment. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed a significant sex by childhood SES interaction, with women’s childhood SES showing a significantly more positive relation (less negative) with hippocampus volume than men’s. The overall effect of childhood maltreatment but not SES, and the sex-specific effect of childhood SES, indicate that different forms of stressful childhood adversity affect brain development differently.

The clock is ticking: the sound of a ticking clock speeds up women's attitudes on reproductive timing.

The "biological clock" serves as a powerful metaphor that reflects the constraints posed by female reproductive biology. The biological clock refers to the progression of time from puberty to menopause, marking the period during which women can conceive children. Findings from two experiments suggest that priming the passage of time through the sound of a ticking clock influenced various aspects of women's (but not men's) reproductive timing. Moreover, consistent with recent research from the domain of life history theory, those effects depended on women's childhood socioeconomic status (SES). The subtle sound of a ticking clock led low (but not high) SES women to reduce the age at which they sought to get married and have their first child (Study 1), as well as the priority they placed on the social status and long-term earning potential of potential romantic partners (Study 2). Findings suggest that early developmental sensitization processes can interact with subtle environmental stimuli to affect reproductive timing during adulthood.

In an Idealized World: Can Discrepancies Across Self-Reported Parental Care and High Betrayal Trauma During Childhood Predict Infant Attachment Avoidance in the Next Generation?

Adult caregivers’ idealization of their parents as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview is a risk factor for the intergenerational transmission of the insecure-avoidant attachment style. This study evaluated a briefer screening approach for identifying parental idealization, testing the utility of prenatal maternal self-report measures of recalled betrayal trauma and parental care in childhood to predict observationally assessed infant attachment avoidance with 58 mother–infant dyads 18 months postpartum. In a logistic regression that controlled for maternal demographics, prenatal psychopathology, and postnatal sensitivity, the interaction between women's self-reported childhood high betrayal trauma and the level of care provided to them by their parents was the only significant predictor of 18-month infant security versus avoidance. Results suggest that betrayal trauma and recalled parental care in childhood can provide a means of identifying caregivers whose infant children are at risk for avoidant attachment, potentially providing an efficient means for scientific studies and clinical intervention aimed at preventing the intergenerational transmission of attachment problems.

Women's Childhood Experience: A Perspective from Rural Haryana, India

The childhood experience of women is an important aspect of study in order to promote a change in women's fertility behavior and individual perpetration of gender discrimination. We looked into different dimensions and correlates of childhood experiences by exploring data of 329 women in an ethnographic survey conducted in five villages of Haryana, India. We found women's childhood experiences in rural Haryana were relatively worse; a significant proportion of women had faced food discrimination during their childhood and also were abused/cursed by the family because of their gender. Almost none of the women were asked for their opinion before arranging their marriage and in most cases their marriage was considered a burden. We conclude that a life cycle approach should be taken to examine the situation of girls in rural India starting from early childhood into adolescence and womanhood in order to solve the problem of high gender discrimination within the society.