Impact of Traumatic Childbirth on Mother-baby Dyadic Interaction and Maternal Psychological Outcome: a Prospective Study

While a significant percentage of women in France have difficult pregnancies and negative childbirth experiences, there is still lack of documentation on the impact of these traumatic experiences on maternal health and mother-child relationships. Few studies have focused on the mental health of mothers, despite traumatic experiences being a risk factor for post-traumatic stress, depressive disorders, and suicide. The findings also highlights the maternal withdrawals and intrusions in interaction with the child, which are associated with guilt and feelings of helplessness, a risk to the emotional regulation of the child. Additionally, avoidance symptoms resulting from traumatic experiences delay mothers' seeking help and the early management of dysfunctional interactions. Therefore, assessing the mother-child interactions is important in understanding perinatal psychopathology.