title: Positive predictors of quality of life for postpartum mothers with a history of childhood maltreatment.
abstract: The postpartum period brings a host of biopsychosocial, familial, and economic changes, which may be challenging for new mothers, especially those with trauma histories. Trauma-exposed women are at heightened risk for psychiatric symptomatology and reduced quality of life. The current study sought to evaluate whether a set of hypothesized promotive factors assessed during the first 18 months postpartum (positive parenting, family cohesion, and maternal resilience) are associated with life satisfaction in this population, after controlling for income and postpartum psychiatric symptoms. Analyses were based on data collected for 266 mother-infant dyads from a longitudinal cohort study, Maternal Anxiety during the Childbearing Years (MACY), of women oversampled for childhood maltreatment history. Hierarchical linear regression was used to evaluate the study hypotheses. Consistent with prior work, greater postpartum psychiatric symptoms and less income predicted poor perceptions of life quality. In hierarchical regressions controlling for income and psychiatric symptoms, positive parenting and family cohesion predicted unique variance in mothers' positive perceptions of life quality, and resilience was predictive beyond all other factors. Factors from multiple levels of analysis (maternal, dyadic, and familial) may serve as promotive factors predicting positive perceptions of life quality among women with childhood trauma histories, even those struggling with high levels of psychiatric or economic distress.
authors: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave., 7th floor, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA.
authors: Jessica L
authors: JL
authors: Irwin
authors: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave., 7th floor, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA.
authors: Marjorie
authors: M
authors: Beeghly
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Room 2736, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.|Center for Human Growth & Development, 300 N. Ingalls, 10th floor, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, USA.
authors: Katherine L
authors: KL
authors: Rosenblum
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Room 2736, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. muzik@med.umich.edu.|Center for Human Growth & Development, 300 N. Ingalls, 10th floor, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, USA. muzik@med.umich.edu.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Muzik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology; D000067073:Psychological Trauma / Q000150:complications*; D011788:Quality of Life; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D014481:United States
keywords: Family functioning; Postpartum depression; Quality of life; Resilience; Trauma