"Echoes of a dark past" is a history of maternal childhood maltreatment a perinatal risk factor for pregnancy and postpartum trauma experiences? A longitudinal study.

Awareness of maternal exposure to childhood adversity/maltreatment is critical to providing trauma-informed approaches in the perinatal setting. Our study suggests that routine screening for ACEs in pregnancy adds clinical value. This adds to previous research confirming the relationship between ACEs and mental health complexities and suggests that ACEs influence perinatal mental health outcomes.