Abstract
Few studies examined maternal attachment in childbirth-related postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PP-PTSD). We studied 685 postpartum women, assessing for PP-PTSD, non-childbirth PTSD, maternal attachment, pre-birth, birth, and post-birth factors. Attachment was lower in PP-PTSD than in non-childbirth PTSD and no PP-PTSD. Hierarchical regression showed that PP-PTSD predicted less maternal attachment above and beyond pre-birth psychiatric conditions, acute distress in birth, and lack of breastfeeding. Childbirth-induced posttraumatic stress may interfere with the formation of maternal attachment, warranting screening of at-risk women.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Partners (Massachusetts General Hospital) Human Research Committee granted this study exemption.
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Dekel, S., Thiel, F., Dishy, G. et al. Is childbirth-induced PTSD associated with low maternal attachment?. Arch Womens Ment Health 22, 119–122 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0853-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0853-y