Prenatal couple relationship satisfaction, romantic attachment, and childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms
Stephanie Alves1, Margarida Pratas1, Matilde Sousa1
1HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Labs, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal.
Background:
Traumatic childbirth can lead to childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (CB-PTSS). Although underexplored, prenatal couple relationship satisfaction and romantic attachment orientations are modifiable factors that may increase or mitigate the risk of CB-PTSS after a traumatic childbirth experience.
Objectives:
This study examined (1) the associations between prenatal couple relationship satisfaction and romantic attachment, traumatic childbirth and CB-PTSS; (2) whether prenatal couple relationship satisfaction moderates the association between traumatic childbirth and CB-PTSS; and (3) whether the interaction between prenatal couple relationship satisfaction and romantic attachment moderates the association between traumatic childbirth and CB-PTSS.
Method:
The sample included 162 mothers from a Portuguese longitudinal cohort who completed self-report questionnaires at the third trimester of pregnancy (T1) and at two months postpartum (T2), on sociodemographic, mental health-related, and obstetric data (T1 and T2), couple relationship satisfaction (T1), romantic attachment (T1), traumatic childbirth experience (T2) and CB-PTSS (T2). Hierarchical regression analyses and moderated moderation models were performed.
Results:
Lower prenatal couple relationship satisfaction predicted greater CB-PTSS severity, before accounting for attachment-related anxiety and avoidance. Attachment-related anxiety predicted greater CB-PTSS severity. The association between traumatic childbirth experience and CB-PTSS severity was only significant at low levels of prenatal couple relationship satisfaction and medium or high levels of attachment-related anxiety.
Conclusions:
Especially in mothers reporting higher attachment-related anxiety, lower prenatal couple relationship satisfaction seems to increase the risk of CB-PTSS following the experience of a traumatic childbirth. Couple relationship satisfaction and romantic attachment orientations should be assessed during routine prenatal screenings, along with childbirth experiences.
More Related Videos
08:25Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment
Published on: December 6, 2024
07:56Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
Attachment
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Psychological Responses to Stress
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
