WHEN REPRODUCTION IS NO LONGER AUTONOMOUS: FEELING RESPECTED BY MATERNITY CARE PROVIDERS MODERATES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AUTONOMY IN DECISION MAKING AND BIRTH-RELATED PTSD SYMPTOMS IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF POSTPARTUM BLACK WOMEN

Abstract

Black individuals are at particularly high risk for birth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, in part due to a lack of opportunity to lead maternity care decisions. Maternal care providers need evidence-based ways to reduce pregnant persons’ risk for birth-related PTSD symptoms despite reduced autonomy in decision making resulting from heightened restrictions on reproductive rights. We investigated whether a potential relation between autonomy in decision making and birth-related PTSD symptoms would be moderated by being mistreated or feeling respected by maternity care providers in a community sample of Black women (N = 52; Mage = 28.2 years, SDage = 5.7 years) seeking maternity care at a public hospital in the southeastern United States. At six weeks postpartum, participants completed measures assessing autonomy in decision making, current birth-related PTSD symptoms, number of mistreatment events, and feelings of respect from providers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Autonomy in decision making was negatively correlated with birth-related PTSD symptoms, r=−.43, p