The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57580

April Harris-Britt, MA¹, Sandra L. Martin, PhD², Yun Li, MA³, Cecilia Casanueva², and Lawrence L. Kupper, PhD³. (1) Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, CB #3270, Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400, 919-962-5082, aharris5@email.unc.edu, (2) Department of MCH, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB#7445, 401 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, (3) Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB# 7420, McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7420

Despite the high prevalence of violence in the lives of women of reproductive age and the adverse mental health consequences posed to women suffering from violence-induced trauma, few studies have examined violence-related trauma and PTSD among pregnant women. For this study, 85 prenatal care patients were administered a structured research interview regarding their lifetime experiences of violence victimization, PTSD symptoms during pregnancy that were related to identified traumatic events (as assessed by the PTSD Symptom Scale), and how these symptoms impaired various aspects of their daily functioning during pregnancy. Results indicated that 69% of the women had experienced a violent traumatic event during which they felt helpless, terrified, or frightened, and during which they were afraid that they might be killed or seriously injured. Most violence-related traumas occurred before the current pregnancy, and were perpetrated by women's intimate partners. Women who reported violence-related trauma evidenced high levels of PTSD symptoms during pregnancy, with 58% of the women meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Moreover, many of the women with PTSD symptoms reported that the symptoms adversely affected their daily functioning, with the most common areas affected being relationships with their family (42%), satisfaction with life (39%), and overall functioning in all domains of life - an indication of severe functional impairment (36%). Women traumatized during pregnancy had higher levels of PTSD symptoms compared to women traumatized at other times of their lives, and women traumatized by intimate partners had higher levels of PTSD symptoms than did women traumatized by other persons.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to:
• Discuss the link between women's experiences of violence-induced trauma throughout their life and PTSD symptomatology related to thier violence-induced trauma during pregnancy.
• Recognize the prevalence and presentation of PTSD symptoms and related functional impairments during pregnancy.
• Prioritize the need for assessing the mental health status of prenatl care patients.

Keywords: Violence, Maternal Well-Being

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.