Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (Apr 2023)

214 Relationships between Childhood Trauma Exposure, Mental Health, and Black-Identity in Black Pregnant Persons

  • Keziah Maria Daniels,
  • Meghna Ravi,
  • Sriya Karra,
  • Shimarith Wallace,
  • Abigail Powers,
  • Vasiliki Michopoulos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2023.286
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7
pp. 65 – 66

Abstract

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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Racial identity, one’s perception of that identity, and their perception of how others view their racial identity influences mental health. We aimed to assess the relationship between childhood trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and postpartum depression symptoms with individual Black identity in adulthood. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We examined whether racial identity, as measured by the regard subsection of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), was impacted by childhood trauma exposure and related to PTSD and depressive symptoms in a sample of pregnant persons (N= 215, Mage=27.5, SDage=5.3) who identified within the Black diaspora, seeking prenatal care at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, GA. The regard subsection of the MIBI determines extent to which individuals feel positively about membership within the Black group (private regard) and the extent to which they think others feel positively about the Black group (public regard). We assessed childhood trauma using Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and depression and PTSD symptoms with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, respectively. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Public regard (pubR) and private regard (privR) were significantly negatively correlated with childhood emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and overall childhood trauma exposure (all p’s.05). PrivR was significantly negatively correlated with both postpartum depression and PTSD symptoms (p DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Ethnic-racial identity formation is a critical aspect of our psychological well-being, beginning in childhood and continuing across one’s lifespan. Our findings suggest that childhood trauma impacts racial identity in persons of the Black diaspora, which may contribute to negative mental health outcomes, including PTSD and depression.