Associations of childhood maltreatment with pre-pregnancy obesity and maternal postpartum mental health: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC pregnancy and childbirth 2017-11, Vol.17 (1), p.391-391, Article 391
• Main Authors: Nagl, Michaela, Lehnig, Franziska, Stepan, Holger, Wagner, Birgit, Kersting, Anette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Body mass index; Childhood maltreatment; Cross-sectional studies; Depression; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Obesity; Postpartum depression; Pregnancy; Systematic review; Womens health
• ISSN: 1471-2393; 1471-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1565-4

Background Pre-pregnancy obesity and postpartum mental disorders are prevalent health risks to both the mother and the offspring. The objective of our study was to examine whether a history of childhood maltreatment is associated with pre-pregnancy obesity and postpartum mental health and whether childhood maltreatment and pre-pregnancy BMI independently predict postpartum mental health. Methods We obtained self-reported data from 741 postpartum women before 16 weeks after delivery (M = 8.1 weeks, SD = 3.2). Childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and physical and emotional neglect were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the BDI and SCL-90-R. We conducted logistic regression models adjusted for demographic covariates and co-occurrence of different types of maltreatment. Results 7.6% of the included women entered pregnancy with obesity. Forty-six percent reported any type of childhood maltreatment. 6.4% displayed at least moderate postnatal depressive symptomatology and 20.5% scored above the 75th percentile for postpartum anxiety. Severe physical abuse, moderate emotional abuse and severe physical and emotional neglect were associated with pre-pregnancy obesity. After controlling for the presence of all other types of childhood maltreatment, only severe physical abuse was still predictive for pre-pregnancy obesity (adj.OR = 5.24, 95% CI = 1.15-23.75). Pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with an increased risk of postpartum depression (adj.OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.08-6.00) but not with elevated anxiety. Pre-pregnancy obesity and severe childhood sexual abuse independently predicted postpartum depression. After controlling for histories of different types of childhood maltreatment, the association between pre-pregnancy obesity and postpartum depression attenuated to non-significance. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study examining empirical relations between childhood maltreatment, pre-pregnancy BMI and postpartum mental health controlling for the co-occurrence of other maltreatment types. Childhood maltreatment has been found being associated with both pre-pregnancy obesity and impaired postpartum mental health and may at least partly account for the association between pre-pregnancy obesity and postpartum depression. Therefore childhood maltreatment is related to two common risk conditions during pregnancy and postpartum which bear several health risks for the mother and the ch