Abstract
Children and adolescents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) frequently endure significant challenges and traumas that carry lasting implications for adult health. Decades of conflict in the DRC have left many women with childhood trauma, which often manifests as psychosocial problems during pregnancy. We investigated the associations between childhood traumas and the psychosocial experiences of pregnancy in adulthood. Cross-sectional data from a longitudinal cohort study of 98 pregnant adult women from the HEAL Africa Maternity Ward in Goma, DRC, were analyzed using bivariate and multiple logistic regression models. Four categories of childhood trauma (sexual abuse, childhood adversity, general trauma, war trauma) were tested for association with seven psychosocial pregnancy experiences (major stress, alcohol use, wanted pregnancy, physical abuse, emotional abuse, fear for life). Childhood sexual abuse was associated with higher odds for major stress, physical abuse, and emotional abuse during pregnancy in both regression models. In the bivariate regression model, only childhood adversity was associated with higher odds for major stress, general trauma was associated with higher odds for major stress, problems, and emotional abuse during pregnancy; war trauma was associated with higher odds for major stress and problems during pregnancy. These findings emphasize the profound impact of childhood trauma on psychosocial pregnancy experiences and highlight the critical implications for the care of pregnant women from high-conflict zones. A trauma-informed care approach, coupled with perinatal psychosocial support that considers DRC’s social and political context, is recommended to improve psychosocial pregnancy experiences.