Post-traumatic stress symptoms, parenting stress and mother-child relationships following childbirth and at 2 years postpartum

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms at 2 years postpartum and the relationship between such symptoms and both self-reported parenting stress and perceptions of the mother-child relationship. 81 women completed measures of childbirth-related PTS symptoms at 6 weeks and 3 months postpartum; these results were used in an exploration of their predictive links with mother-child relationship and parenting measures at 2 years. 17.3% of respondents reported some PTS symptoms at a clinically significant level at 2 years postpartum. However, these symptoms were only weakly linked to parenting stress and were not related to mothers’ perceptions of their children. However earlier PTS symptoms within 3 months of childbirth did show limited associations with parenting stress at 2 years but no association with child relationship outcomes once current depression was taken into account. Implications for clinical practice and the concept of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder are discussed.

Keywords::

• Childbirth
• post-traumatic stress syndrome

Declaration of interest: The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Current knowledge on this subject

• A small but significant number of women report symptoms of post-traumatic stress in relation to their experience of childbirth.

• There is limited evidence about early childbirth-related post-traumatic stress symptoms being linked with mothers perceiving difficulties in the mother-infant relationship in the immediate postpartum period.

What the study adds

• This study reveals the chronicity of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress symptoms and indicates that (i) such symptoms at 2 years are linked to parenting stress and perceptions of more negative family relationships and (ii) that post-traumatic stress symptoms in the early puerperal period are linked with later parenting stress. However current depressive symptoms appear more strongly associated with family relationship and parenting outcomes than early post-traumatic stress symptoms.