Relationships between childhood maltreatment, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and stressful life events: Evidence from unintended pregnancy.

Abstract

Objective: Individuals who experienced childhood maltreatment show an increased sensitivity to stressful events and are at greater risk for adult psychopathology. Leveraging the natural event of unintended pregnancy, this study aimed (a) to examine heterogeneity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trajectories in the context of a stressful life event and (b) to increase our understanding of traumatized individuals' perinatal mental health to inform mental health care integration into abortion and maternity service settings.

Method: 189 individuals who either terminated (41%) an unintended pregnancy or carried it to term (59%) completed a self-report questionnaire of childhood maltreatment and a clinician-administered interview to assess lifetime trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in the month prior to and 12 months after the end of the pregnancy. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis, t-tests, and change score analysis were conducted to investigate the interrelationships among childhood maltreatment, trauma exposure, and PTSD symptoms.

Results: Participants most frequently reported sexual violence (25.83%), birth trauma (18.54%), or physical assault (16.56%) as their index trauma. Individuals with childhood maltreatment showed increased lifetime trauma exposure and exhibited greater PTSD symptoms 12 months after the unintended pregnancy. Childhood maltreatment did not predict a change in PTSD symptoms from pre- to postpregnancy.

Conclusions: Childhood maltreatment is linked to increased PTSD symptoms that persist up to 1 year after an unintended pregnancy. These results have clinical implications for the inclusion of trauma-informed practices into reproductive care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).