engleski

The Role of Partner’s and Health Care Professionals’ Support in Birth Satisfaction and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms after Childbirth

Childbirth is generally regarded as a positive life experience in society. However, for some women, giving birth is a traumatic experience which can lead to developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies have shown that some characteristics of birth experience are associated with symptoms of PTSD. Women who receive continuous social support during childbirth are more satisfied with the experience of childbirth, have more positive attitudes towards motherhood, and report fewer symptoms of PTSD. The aim of this study was to determine whether childbirth satisfaction acts as a mediator between perceived the staff and partner support and PTSD symptoms following childbirth. Mothers (N=241) of infants of one month to one year of age completed the following online questionnaires: Childbirth Perception Questionnaire (CPQ), which measures Birth satisfaction and Satisfaction with the interaction with a partner ; Support from healthcare professionals from the Support and Control in Birth (SCIB) ; and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The results showed that 15.4% of mothers had estimated their last delivery as a traumatic experience and 13.7% reported a clinically significant level of PTSD symptoms. The path analysis examined a model with the support from staff and partner as predictors, childbirth satisfaction as a mediator, and PTSD symptoms as a criterion. The model had an excellent fit and showed that staff and partner support did not have a direct effect on PTSD symptoms but did have an effect on birth satisfaction, which then had a direct impact on PTSD symptoms. The same pattern was found in women who gave birth vaginally and who gave birth by caesarean section. The results indicate the importance of identifying women with PTSD after childbirth and the importance of supportive interactions during labour and birth, in order to provide women with adequate support and to make childbirth a more positive experience.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Childbirth, Support during Childbirth, Healthcare Professionals, Partner

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