engleski

The relationship between birth satisfaction, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression post-partum: A large sample study of Croatian mothers.

Background: Studies show that a woman's dissatisfaction with her birth experience may affect her emotional well-being. Although further examination of birth satisfaction provided insight into its complex relationships with adverse maternal outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth and postnatal depression, these relationships have not been examined with respect to different dimensions of these constructs. Aim of the study: The goal of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the birth satisfaction in a sample of Croatian women and compare it with UK data ; (2) to examine the association of different dimensions of birth satisfaction with PTSD and depressive symptoms. Method: In a cross-sectional online study, 603 postpartum women completed the following questionnaires: Birth Satisfaction Scale- Revised which measures Stress experienced during labour (SL), Women’s personal attributes (WA), and Quality of care provision (QC) ; City Birth Trauma Scale which measures Birth-related symptoms (BRS) and General symptoms (GS) ; and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Average birth satisfaction scores were compared with UK data using the t-test. Pearson’s coefficient of correlation was used to test associations between different dimensions of birth satisfaction and the level of PTSD and depressive symptoms, whereas the path analysis was applied to determine which of these associations had a direct effect on psychopathological symptoms. This study was approved by the ethics committee of author's institution. Findings: The scores on Birth satisfaction scale was significantly lower compared to the UK data. Path analysis tested the model of three aspects of birth satisfaction effect on PTSD dimensions and depressive symptoms. All three dimensions of birth satisfaction (SL, WA, and QC) predicted Birth-related symptoms. However, only Women’s attributes predicted General symptoms and depressive symptoms. Conclusion and implications: These findings highlight the importance of birth satisfaction for maternal mental health following childbirth. High birth satisfaction should be set as a gold criterion for perinatal health care.

delivery, birth satisfaction, posttraumatic stress disorder, postnatal depression

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