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Posttraumatic stress in NICU mothers: modeling the roles of childhood trauma and infant health

Journal of Perinatology volume 41, pages 2009–2018 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms and their predictors in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) mothers.

Study design

In this cross-sectional study, 119 mothers (~72% Medicaid) completed surveys during the first month of their infants’ hospitalizations. Correlations and structural equation models (SEMs) evaluated relations among mothers’ childhood trauma history, infant health appraisals, objective infant health, and ASD.

Result

ASD symptoms (~55%) and childhood trauma (~33%) were prevalent. ASD was correlated with childhood trauma, infant health, and infant health appraisals. All SEMs had good fit, indicating that (a) infant health appraisals partially mediated relations between childhood trauma and ASD, and (b) infant health appraisals fully mediated relations between objective infant health and ASD.

Conclusion

ASD symptoms are prevalent among NICU mothers regardless of infant health severity. Recognition of childhood trauma history and appraisals of infant health is critical for trauma-informed care.

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Acknowledgements

We would first like to acknowledge the NICU families who agreed to participate in this study during a scary and stressful time in their lives. In addition, we would like to acknowledge the VCU Medical Team who supported this study and its clinical implications, including nursing, physicians, speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapist, social work and chaplaincy.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Allison Baylor Williams, Anna Beth Parlier-Ahmad, Rachel Wallace, Paul B. Perrin & Bruce Rybarczyk

  2. Department of Psychology, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, VA, USA

    Allison Baylor Williams

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Richmond, Richmond, USA

    Karen D. Hendricks-Muñoz & Alyssa Ward

  4. Virginia Commonwealth Center on Health Disparities, Richmond, VA, USA

    Karen D. Hendricks-Muñoz

  5. MIRECC Research Fellowship, Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Sarah Griffin

  6. Behavioral Health Division, Department of Medical Assistance Services, Richmond, VA, USA

    Alyssa Ward

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  1. Allison Baylor Williams
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Contributions

ABW contributed to study design, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript write-up. KDH-M contributed to study design, participant recruitment, communication with medical team, and manuscript edits. ABP-A contributed to data collection and manuscript edits. SG contributed to data analysis and manuscript edits. RW contributed to data collection and manuscript edits. PBP contributed to data analysis and manuscript edits. BR contributed to study design and manuscript edits. AW contributed to study design, data collection, and manuscript edits.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allison Baylor Williams.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

All participants provided informed consent to participate in the study. Virginia Commonwealth University’s International Review Board approved this study (Protocol #: HM20011668).

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Williams, A.B., Hendricks-Muñoz, K.D., Parlier-Ahmad, A.B. et al. Posttraumatic stress in NICU mothers: modeling the roles of childhood trauma and infant health. J Perinatol 41, 2009–2018 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01103-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01103-9

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