The effect of respectful maternity care on the perception of traumatic birth among mothers in southern Türkiye.

Background: Respectful maternity care is a universal right for all reproductive women. The relationship between women and maternity care providers is crucial throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Qualitative studies suggest that care quality and interactions with healthcare professionals impact women more than medical interventions. This study examines the effect of respectful maternity care on the perception of traumatic birth.

Methods: The study was conducted with 540 mothers who had a healthy birth in a public hospital in southern Türkiye between May and August 2024. The data collection process was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, mothers who completed the 24-h postpartum period filled out the Personal Information Form and the Women's Perception of Respectful Maternity Care Scale, and their contact information was obtained. In the second stage, one week after birth, the Birth-Related Trauma Perception Scale was completed through phone interviews with the mothers.

Results: Mothers'perceptions of birth-related trauma and respectful maternal care were found to have significant relationships with many sociodemographic and obstetric variables (p < 0.05). The participants'mean respectful maternal care score and mean trauma perception score were 68.55 ± 9.30 and 120.80 ± 14.53, respectively. In addition, a high level of negative correlation was found between birth trauma and respectful maternal care (r = - 0.864; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The study revealed that women exhibited a high perception of psychological trauma and a moderate perception of respectful maternity care. The findings indicate that sociodemographic and obstetric factors play a significant role in shaping women's experiences of both respectful care and birth trauma. Notably, a strong negative correlation was identified between respectful maternity care and the perception of birth trauma.