Citation

Brock RL, O'Hara MW, Hart KJ, McCabe-Beane JE, Williamson JA, Brunet A, Laplante DP, Yu C, King S. J. Trauma. Stress 2015; 28(6): 515-522.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.22056

PMID

26584403

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.

Language: en