Emotion regulation during pregnancy: A pathway from maternal childhood maltreatment to perinatal mental health.

The perinatal period is a critical time during which the effects of maternal early life adversity can manifest for both the pregnant individual and their child. Early life adversity in the form of childhood maltreatment (CM) - encompassing abuse, neglect, and witnessing interpersonal violence - is widely prevalent. History of CM is linked to elevated perinatal mental health problems. Emotion regulation difficulties represent one potential mechanism through which CM can contribute to elevated risk for perinatal mental health. As such, this longitudinal study explored how CM influences maternal mental health outcomes through emotion dysregulation. A total of 128 participants from Nova Scotia, Canada, were recruited during pregnancy and completed study sessions during their third trimester and at 2 weeks postpartum. Participants reported experiences of CM and difficulties with emotion regulation during pregnancy, and symptoms of depression and anxiety at both timepoints. Mediation path analyses indicate that (1) greater CM was associated with increased difficulties in emotion regulation during pregnancy, (2) emotion dysregulation during pregnancy was linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms in pregnancy and the postpartum, and (3) emotion dysregulation mediated the association between CM and perinatal mental health outcomes. The findings highlight emotion dysregulation as one pathway through which early life adversity impacts maternal mental health across the perinatal period. Future research and clinical efforts should prioritize the development of accessible interventions aimed at supporting pregnant individuals with a history of CM, specifically in enhancing their emotion regulation abilities.