JOURNAL ARTICLE
RESEARCH SUPPORT, N.I.H., EXTRAMURAL
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Predisposing and Precipitating Factors for Dissociation During Labor in a Cohort Study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Childbearing Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Peritraumatic dissociation is an important predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and impaired bonding following childbirth. The purpose of this study was to follow up on an earlier finding that peritraumatic dissociation in labor was associated with adverse postpartum outcomes by identifying predictors of dissociation in labor.

METHODS: This analysis used data from a prospective cohort study of primiparous women from southeast Michigan. There were 564 women included in the analysis; the primary outcome measure was the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) score measuring dissociation during labor.

RESULTS: The prevalence of dissociation in labor for this sample was 7.4%. Important predictors of dissociation in labor included both predisposing (eg, childhood maltreatment trauma, preexisting psychopathology) and precipitating (eg, perception of care, negative appraisal of labor) factors. Overall, these predictors explained 14.7% of variance in PDEQ score. In 3 separate, simple linear regression models, the PDEQ score explained 20% of variance in postpartum PTSD, 13% of variance in postpartum depression, and 9% of variance in impaired bonding.

DISCUSSION: Women with maltreatment history and PTSD are at risk to be retraumatized or overwhelmed by birth and to dissociate. Although it would be optimal to assess for dissociative coping prenatally, assessing with the PDEQ following birth could contribute to evaluation of risk for postpartum psychopathology.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app