Examining childbirth-related trauma and its effect on maternal self-efficacy and appraisal of infant temperament

It is estimated that 3--9% of women will meet full diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth, with another 20 to 40% being partially symptomatic for the disorder. While precedents and associated factors leading to childbirth related PTSD have been fairly well researched, the postpartum outcomes such as the mother's perception of herself in the parenting role, and her appraisal of her infant's temperament have been far less studied. Other psychiatric disorders have been linked to lower estimations of parental self efficacy and more negative views of infant temperament. This study examined childbirth related trauma and its effect on maternal self efficacy as well as mothers' appraisal of infant temperament. The backward stepwise regression model revealed that childbirth-related psychological trauma is a significant predictor of both maternal self-efficacy and appraisal of infant temperament in mothers who are between 3 and 12 months postpartum.