Trauma Informed Care in the Perinatal Period - (Protecting Children and Young People) by Julia Seng & Julie Taylor (Paperback)

About the Book

Studies of traumatic stress, attachment, and neurobiology confirm the importance of the mother and child bond for life-long health. Yet intergenerational cycles of childhood maltreatment and psychiatric vulnerability may endanger that bond to warrant a prevention approach. Trauma-informed care and interventions in maternity services may be needed.

Book Synopsis

Pregnancy is a crucial point of intersection between generations. During pregnancy, women with a childhood maltreatment history have a 12-fold increased risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although awareness of the need for trauma-informed care and trauma-specific interventions is increasing in the fields of addiction and mental health treatment, there are no front-line programmes for the childbearing year that address maltreatment-related PTSD. The authors address these intergenerational cycles of childhood maltreatment and psychiatric vulnerability; they provide a resource to facilitate incorporating trauma-informed care and trauma-specific interventions into maternity services; and they signal the opportunities for improving outcomes for childbearing women with a history of childhood maltreatment.This volume provides an overview of information that child welfare and perinatal professionals can use in their work to move towards providing trauma informed care and developing trauma-specific interventions to improve intergenerational outcomes.

Review Quotes

'The authors and editors of Trauma Informed Care in the Perinatal Period argue that psychosocial care is just as critical for mothers, infants, and society at large as is medical care, and point out that it has been agonizingly slow to catch up to the medical model. This is a research-laden book that takes a systems approach to both examining the roots of familial and societal violence, and exploring how to best deal with these complex issues as a collaborative front...This is a book for clinicians and researchers. Each chapter builds on the previous one, and research charts are included, allowing readers to easily find original articles and information. It is a worthwhile read that deftly probes into the reasons trauma-informed care should be included in the perinatal period, and possible ways to make this happen systemically.'APPPAH Birth Psychology

About the Author

The EditorsJulia Seng, Professor of Nursing, Obstetrics and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan, USA and Julie Taylor, NSPCC Professor of Child Protection, School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK.The ContributorsCatherine Acton is a clinical psychologist working in a perinatal emotional health team at a large public maternity hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Kristen R. Choi is a nurse and PhD student at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, USA. Chris Cuthbert is the Head of Strategy and Development for Children Under One at the UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Jane Fisher is Jean Hailes Professor of Women's Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, Australia. Heather Rowe is Senior Research Fellow in the Jean Hailes Research Unit School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, Australia. Mickey Sperlich is an experienced midwife and Assistant Professor of Social Work at the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA.