Maternal History of Childhood Maltreatment and Pregnancy Weight Outcomes

Childhood maltreatment is associated with elevated adult weight. It is unclear whether this association extends to pregnancy, a critical window for the development of obesity.

We examined associations of childhood maltreatment histories with prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain among women who had participated for >20 years in a longitudinal cohort. At age 26-35 years, participants reported childhood maltreatment (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; emotional neglect) and, 5 years later, about prepregnancy weight and gestational weight gain for previous pregnancies (n = 656). Modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate associations of maltreatment history with prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain z -scores, adjusting for sociodemographics. We used multivariate imputation by chained equations to adjust outcome measures for misclassification using data from an internal validation study.

Before misclassification adjustment, results indicated a higher risk of prepregnancy BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 in women with certain types of maltreatment (e.g., emotional abuse risk ratio = 2.4; 95% confidence interval: 1.5, 3.7) compared with women without that maltreatment type. After misclassification adjustment, estimates were attenuated but still modestly elevated (e.g., emotional abuse risk ratio = 1.7; 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 2.7). Misclassification-adjusted estimates for maltreatment associations with gestational weight gain z -scores were close to the null and imprecise.

Findings suggest an association of maltreatment with prepregnancy BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 but not with high gestational weight gain. Results suggest a potential need for equitable interventions that can support all women, including those with maltreatment histories, as they enter pregnancy.