Maternal Intrusive Thoughts and Dissociative Experiences in the Context of Early Caregiving Under Varying Levels of Societal Stress

Early caregiving can evoke feelings of helplessness in mothers that are potentially associated with disintegrative responses, i.e., intrusive thoughts and dissociative experiences in the context of infant care. Given the associated increase in stress and exposure to life-threatening dangers, crises such as pandemics and wars may intensify these responses, but this has not previously been tested. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to (1) examine maternal disintegrative responses across three contexts—a high-intensity phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, a subsequent low-intensity pandemic period, and the Israel–Hamas war—and (2) compare the two crisis periods in terms of trauma-related exposure, a damaged experience of childbirth and childcare, and their links to disintegrative responses. Method: This study had two parts and was conducted among Israeli mothers. Part 1 involved 1416 mothers across three groups: high-intensity pandemic (N = 637), low-intensity pandemic (N = 360), and war (N = 419). Part 2 involved a subsample from Part 1 comparing the 1056 mothers from the high-intensity pandemic and war groups. All the participants completed questionnaires assessing maternal disintegrative responses, trauma-related exposure, and a damaged experience of childbirth and childcare. The analyses included ANOVA and mediation models, controlling for maternal characteristics. Results: Intrusive thoughts and dissociative experiences were significantly higher during both the high-intensity pandemic and war periods compared to the low-intensity pandemic period. Trauma exposure indirectly predicted intrusive thoughts and dissociative experiences through a damaged experience of childbirth and childcare, particularly during war. Conclusions: The findings indicate that maternal disintegrative responses were higher during high-intensity crisis contexts, with the highest levels reported by mothers during the war. Trauma exposure and a damaged experience of childbirth and childcare were associated with more intrusive thoughts and dissociative experiences, underscoring the need for targeted support to protect maternal well-being and caregiving during crises.