1. Trauma-informed support after a complicated childbirth - An early intervention to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress, fear of childbirth and mental illness.
- Author
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Andersson H, Nieminen K, Malmquist A, and Grundström H
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Adult, Pregnancy, Mothers psychology, Depression etiology, Delivery, Obstetric psychology, Delivery, Obstetric adverse effects, Depression, Postpartum psychology, Depression, Postpartum prevention & control, Obstetric Labor Complications psychology, Obstetric Labor Complications prevention & control, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic psychology, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic etiology, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic prevention & control, Parturition psychology, Anxiety etiology, Fear psychology
- Abstract
Objective: Women who experience obstetric interventions and complications during childbirth have an increased risk of developing postnatal post-traumatic stress and mental illness. This study aimed to test the effect of a trauma-informed support programme based on psychological first aid (PFA) to reduce the mothers' symptoms of stress, fear of childbirth (FOC), anxiety and depression after a complicated childbirth., Methods: The study population consisted of women ≥ 18 years old who had undergone a complicated childbirth (i.e. acute or emergency caesarean section, vacuum extraction, child in need of neonatal care, manual placenta removal, obstetric anal sphincter injury, shoulder dystocia or major haemorrhage (>1000 ml)). A total of 101 women participated in the study, of whom 43 received the intervention. Demographic questions and three self-assessment instruments measuring stress symptoms, FOC, anxiety and depression were answered one to three months after birth., Results: The women in the intervention group scored significantly lower on the stress symptom scale, with a halved median score compared to the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding FOC, depression and anxiety., Conclusion: Our results indicate that this PFA-based support programme might reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms in women who have gone through a complicated childbirth. With further studies in a larger population, this support programme has the potential to contribute to improved maternal care optimizing postnatal mental health., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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