Trauma-informed Obstetric Care for Perinatal Health: a Pilot Study

Trauma-informed Obstetric Care for Perinatal Health in Women With Histories of Childhood Abuse: a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

The study will test trauma-informed obstetric care training and supervision for obstetric clinicians in relation to prenatal mental health and attachment formation (early predictors of child development) in women presenting for prenatal care in a public hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Infants of women who have experienced trauma have up to five times the risk of health and developmental problems. Low-income women are more likely to experience trauma, a factor in the intergenerational transmission of racial and socioeconomic inequities in health and development. In women with trauma histories, pregnancy and the period after the baby is born can be particularly stressful. A new way of improving pregnancy and early childhood outcomes in women with trauma histories is to train obstetric clinicians in the delivery of obstetric care attuned to the unique needs of women with histories of childhood abuse. Models of trauma-informed obstetric and gynecological care (TIOC) have been developed, however, none of these TIOC models have been formally tested for effectiveness. This study aims to develop and test a model of TIOC in a public hospital in Argentina that serves women who experience a high degree of disadvantage.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women who are <19 weeks pregnant
• Nulliparous (no previous live births)
• 18 or more years of age
• Carrying a single fetus
• Can speak Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any current psychiatric diagnosis or treatment
• Medical complications (hypertension, cardiac disease, diabetes, chronic disease, autoimmune disease) before pregnancy