The psychological impact of working as a midwife in Australia: Findings from a scoping review.

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Midwifery Pub Date : 2025-03-16 DOI:10.1016/j.midw.2025.104377

Kirsten Small, Chanelle Warton, Jennifer Fenwick, Kathleen Baird, Zoe Bradfield, Caroline Homer

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Burnout, stress, trauma and other psychological health issues are major drivers of attrition, absenteeism, and reduced workplace engagement for midwives. Given the central roles midwives play in providing quality maternity care, it is important to monitor the mental and emotional health of midwives and to understand factors that are associated with a higher or lower incidence of problems. The aim of this review was to report on empirical literature pertaining to the psychological impact of midwifery work for midwives working in Australia.

Methods: The Joanna Briggs scoping review methodology was used. MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, Maternity & Infant Care Datacare, CINAHL and SCOPUS were searched to identify research pertaining to the psychological impact of midwifery work for Australian midwives.

Results: A total of 26 papers met inclusion criteria. Midwifery work in Australia carried a significant psychological burden, with high rates of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depression, anxiety, and stress. Most midwives had witnessed traumatic events. Working in continuity of midwifery carer models was associated with lower rates of mental health concerns, while younger midwives and those with fewer years in the workforce were negatively impacted.

Discussion: Midwives in Australia are impacted significantly by their work; especially by burnout, the impact of witnessing traumatic events, depression, stress and anxiety, and moral distress. Midwifery continuity of carer models were protective for psychological impacts.

Conclusions: Effective workplace interventions to better support the midwifery workforce, including access to continuity models, are required to sustain Australia's high quality maternity care system.

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背景：职业倦怠、压力、创伤和其他心理健康问题是助产士自然减员、缺勤和减少工作投入的主要原因。鉴于助产士在提供优质产科护理方面发挥的核心作用，监测助产士的心理和情绪健康并了解与问题发生率高低相关的因素非常重要。本综述旨在报告与澳大利亚助产士工作的心理影响有关的实证文献：采用乔安娜-布里格斯（Joanna Briggs）范围审查方法。检索了MEDLINE、Embase、Emcare、Maternity & Infant Care Datacare、CINAHL和SCOPUS，以确定与澳大利亚助产士工作的心理影响有关的研究：共有 26 篇论文符合纳入标准。澳大利亚助产士的心理负担很重，职业倦怠、情感衰竭、抑郁、焦虑和压力的发生率很高。大多数助产士都曾目睹过创伤事件。在连续性助产护理模式下工作的助产士心理健康问题发生率较低，而年轻助产士和工作年限较短的助产士则受到负面影响：讨论：澳大利亚的助产士受到其工作的严重影响，尤其是职业倦怠、目睹创伤事件的影响、抑郁、压力和焦虑以及精神痛苦。助产士持续护理模式对心理影响具有保护作用：要维持澳大利亚高质量的孕产妇护理体系，就必须采取有效的工作场所干预措施，为助产士队伍提供更好的支持，包括提供连续性模式。

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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.