Childhood traumatic experiences and postpartum depression: a mixed methods narrative study

Abstract

Purpose

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern with profound effects on the health and well-being of women, children, and families. A growing body of research has identified an association between childhood traumatic experiences and an increased risk of PPD. This study aims to elucidate potentially underrecognized childhood experiences that are perceived as traumatic or particularly formative, and to examine whether linguistic features in brief trauma narratives are associated with PPD symptomatology.

Methods

This analysis included data from 143 participants who provided narrative responses to an open-ended item on the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale (CTES). Topic modeling and thematic analysis were used to identify recurring trauma-related themes, while dictionary-based sentiment analysis quantified the emotional valence of participants’ responses. Pearson’s correlation analyses examined associations between sentiment scores and PPD severity across four postpartum time points (Week 2, Week 6, Month 3, and Month 6).

Results

Three primary themes emerged: (1) familial adversity, (2) verbal/emotional abuse, and (3) childhood relocation or moving. Across all narratives, sentiment scores indicated predominantly negative language. No significant associations were found between sentiment scores and PPD symptomatology through six months postpartum.

Conclusion

Expanding assessment tools to include open-ended narrative prompts may strengthen the identification and characterization of childhood adversity in both research and clinical settings. Further research is needed to better understand whether and how narrative language reflects perinatal mental health.

Clinical trial number

Not applicable.