Significance of perinatal trauma screening and care coordination to improve infant health outcomes

This commentary addresses the need for trauma-informed screening and coordinated mental health care across obstetric (OB) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings. Perinatal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental health conditions are common yet under-recognized, particularly among individuals exposed to medical trauma, prior adversity, or interpersonal violence. Perinatal PTSD prevalence estimates range from 3-6 % in community samples and 15-25 % in high-risk populations, including NICU parents, individuals with obstetric complications, and those with prior trauma histories. Infants hospitalized in NICUs experience their own forms of trauma related to pain, sensory overload, and caregiver separation, while parents are critical buffers of infant stress but may be unable to provide effective co-regulation when they are themselves traumatized. Guided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) trauma-informed framework, this commentary synthesizes current evidence on screening, perinatal PTSD risk factors, intergenerational trauma, and Collaborative Care models. The author describes how integrated mental health services can be operationalized across care environments and issue a call to action for universal screening, universal education about healthy and unsafe relationship dynamics, coordinated treatment pathways, and equity-focused implementation strategies to protect infant neurodevelopment and interrupt intergenerational cycles of trauma.