The role of childhood abuse in the aetiology and outcome of postpartum depression has received little attention; the author reports on the final stage of a study looking at childhood abuse as a potentially significant factor in the transgenerational transmission of both abuse and psychiatric illness.

Fifty six women and their children were recruited to this three year follow up study focusing on the effect of childhood abuse on mental health, relationships and parenting. Women at recruitment were postpartum and suffering a depressive disorder; half had a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and half (the controls) did not.

Forty five women participated in the follow up study when their child was 21/2 to 31/2 years old. Twenty seven partners also participated.

Results gave limited support for the hypothesis that an abuse history was associated with a longer term and more severe illness, but did not support any effect on relationships long term. The initial significantly impaired mother-infant relationship postpartum in the abuse group was not maintained at follow up, but was predictive of later depression. Regression analysis suggested significant links between mood, parenting stress and child outcome.

The male partners of the abuse group women rated their children as being more disturbed, and though their was no cognitive differences between children, scores in both groups were low.

A small subgroup of physically and emotionally abused women will also be reported on; implications for management and further research will also be discussed.