Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39354645›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2024

Understanding the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and neglect and psychological distress in pregnant women: the role of prenatal attachment.

Maria Rita Infurna, Leonardo Fazio, Eleonora Bevacqua, Giulia Costanzo, Giorgio Falgares, Antonio Maiorana, Francesca Giannone, Linda Antonella Antonucci

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. When a Parent Is Born: An Integrated Approach to Perinatal Mental Health and Early Risk Screening.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Maria Rita InfurnaDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. mariarita.infurna@unipa.it.
Leonardo FazioDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, LUM University 'Giuseppe Degennaro', Casamassima, Bari, Italy.
Eleonora BevacquaDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giulia CostanzoDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giorgio FalgaresDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Antonio MaioranaHCU Obstetrics and Gynecology, ARNAS Civico Di Cristina-Benfratelli Hospital, Palermo, Italy.
Francesca GiannoneDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Linda Antonella AntonucciDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood abuse and neglect pose important risk factors for the development of psychopathology during pregnancy. However, only a few studies have assessed the effects of a specific type of abuse during the perinatal period, namely, psychological maltreatment, which includes emotional abuse and neglect. These studies have found that women who have experienced psychological maltreatment exhibit higher levels of antenatal depressive symptoms and greater difficulties forming attachment with their babies than women who have not experienced this kind of adversity. The aim of this study was to examine how emotional abuse and neglect experiences may favor the occurrence of psychological distress in pregnant women, and whether prenatal attachment might explain this association.

methodsParticipants comprised 128 Italian pregnant women ranging in age from 21 to 46 years (M

resultsPearson correlations revealed a positive association between childhood neglect and perinatal psychological distress and a negative association between childhood neglect and prenatal attachment scores. No significant correlations were found for emotional abuse. Perinatal psychological distress was negatively associated with prenatal attachment. Mediation analyses showed significant associations between childhood neglect and the dimensions of perinatal affectivity and prenatal maternal attachment. Prenatal maternal attachment mediated the relationship between neglect and perinatal psychological distress.

conclusionsThe transition to motherhood is a sensitive period, particularly for women who have experienced abuse and neglect during childhood. These experiences may negatively impact a woman's disposition to emotionally and behaviorally engage in the formation of a bond with their unborn baby. These results may have important prevention and clinical implications and thus warrant further exploration.

Indexed as

Object AttachmentPregnant PeoplePsychological DistressAdultAdult Survivors of Child AbuseChild AbuseEmotional AbuseFemaleHumansItalyMiddle AgedMother-Child RelationsPregnancyYoung AdultChildhood psychological maltreatmentEmotional abuseMaternal psychological distressNeglectPerinatal periodPregnancyPrenatal Attachment

Identifiers

PMID39354645
PMCPMC11443666

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.