title: Peritraumatic Distress Mediates the Effect of Severity of Disaster Exposure on Perinatal Depression: The Iowa Flood Study.
abstract: Disaster exposure during pregnancy has received limited attention. This study examined the impact of the 2008 Iowa Floods on perinatal maternal depression and well-being, and the role of peritraumatic distress as a possible mechanism explaining this link. Perinatal women (N = 171) completed measures of depressive symptoms and general well-being at 5 timepoints from pregnancy to 30 months postpartum. Objectively assessed prenatal flood exposure was associated with greater depression (r = .15). Further, flood-related peritraumatic distress was uniquely associated with greater depression (r = .23), and was a key mechanism through which flood exposure led to depression. Prenatal flood exposure was also associated with general well-being (r = .18); however, a mechanism other than peritraumatic distress appears to have been responsible for the effect of flood exposure on well-being. We discuss the implications of these findings for informing etiological models and enhancing the efficacy of interventions for maternal psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: McCabe-Beane
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: J Austin
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.affiliation: Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Laplante
authors.affiliation: Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Chunbo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D055868:Floods; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D010500:Perinatology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D040921:Stress Disorders, Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*