Evaluating a midwife-led consultation for women after a traumatic birth experience: Preliminary results

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Midwifery Pub Date : 2025-02-27 DOI:10.1016/j.midw.2025.104358

Valérie Avignon , Valentine Annen , David Baud , Julie Bourdin , Antje Horsch

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Approximately 9 to 50 % of women report a traumatic birth experience and 12 % develop childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (CB-PTSS). A recent study using a postpartum midwifery-led counselling session showed promising results in reducing CB-PTSS, but more evidence is needed.

Objectives

The main objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of a midwifery-led counselling session 6 weeks post-partum or later, on depression and CB-PTSS.

Study Design

The pre-post-intervention study, including 159 women, took place in a Swiss 18 university hospital. It was designed as a healthcare service quality project and therefore was therefore not registered a priori in a clinical trial registry. Ethical approval from the institutional board was obtained (n° 2020–06). A midwifery-led counselling session, six weeks or more after birth, allowed women to discuss their childbirth experience and to receive additional information about childbirth. Women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) two weeks before and three months after the consultation.

Results

Results showed a significant decrease in depression and CB-PTSS, and in cases with probable childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis (CB-PTSD): 24.7 % (36/146) before counselling versus 6.3 % (5/80) three months after (p < 0.01). The session was rated as extremely/very satisfactory by 91 % of women and extremely/very useful by >87 % of women. No associations were found between depression and CB-PTSD scores and obstetrical or neonatal data.

Conclusion

A midwifery-led single-session offered to women 6 weeks or more after birth seemed to be associated with a decrease of depression and CB-PTSS. However, the attrition rate (49 %) made definitive conclusions difficult. More research is needed with a larger sample, a randomized design, and a wait-list control group to consider the effect of time on depression or CB-PTSS.

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来源期刊

Midwifery 医学-护理

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

7.40%

发文量

221

审稿时长

13.4 weeks

期刊介绍： Midwifery publishes the latest peer reviewed international research to inform the safety, quality, outcomes and experiences of pregnancy, birth and maternity care for childbearing women, their babies and families. The journal’s publications support midwives and maternity care providers to explore and develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes informed by best available evidence. Midwifery provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the publication, dissemination and discussion of advances in evidence, controversies and current research, and promotes continuing education through publication of systematic and other scholarly reviews and updates. Midwifery articles cover the cultural, clinical, psycho-social, sociological, epidemiological, education, managerial, workforce, organizational and technological areas of practice in preconception, maternal and infant care. The journal welcomes the highest quality scholarly research that employs rigorous methodology. Midwifery is a leading international journal in midwifery and maternal health with a current impact factor of 1.861 (© Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports 2016) and employs a double-blind peer review process.