Apr 15, 2014 09:52 AM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Domestic abuse may lead to postpartum mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a recent study.

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Simon Frasier University and the University of British Columbia found that domestic abuse is closely associated with mental health problems in new mothers and that specific types of abuse are associated with specific mental health problems.

"We wanted to see whether and how intimate partner abuse -- physical, psychological and sexual -- influenced postpartum mental health in women, including problems such as depression, stress, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and [post-traumatic stress disorder]," Dr. Sarah Desmarais, lead author of the research and an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers interviewed 100 women from British Columbia who were largely from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and were not considered at high risk of postpartum mental health problems.  According to the study, the participants were recruited to participate in a broad health and wellness study, which was not specifically focused on domestic abuse.

Investigators found that 61 percent of the study participants reported symptoms of postpartum mental health problems within the first three months after childbirth. And 47 percent of the 100 women reported symptoms at "clinical" levels, meaning the symptoms were of at least moderate severity.

Nearly 84 percent of the participants reported experiencing physical, psychological or sexual abuse at the hands of a partner prior to becoming pregnant. Seventy percent of the 100 participants reported some form of abuse by their romantic partner during pregnancy. These forms of abuse ranged from name-calling to rape and physical assault with a weapon.

"We found that women who had experienced abuse were more likely to suffer from postpartum mental health problems, and were much more likely to suffer from those problems if the abuse occurred during pregnancy," Desmarais said. "In addition, the more types of abuse they experienced, the more severe the mental health symptoms they reported. We also found that specific types of abuse were associated with specific problems."

Based on their findings, psychological abuse -- verbal and emotional abuse -- was associated with stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Physical abuse was associated with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sexual abuse was associated with stress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder

"This highlights the need for increased awareness of the prevalence of these issues, and the need for increased screening for abuse and mental health problems for pregnant women and new mothers," Desmarais said.

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