Childbirth Related Trauma - Research Theme
Unlike other sources of trauma, perinatal or birth-related trauma is relatively unrecognised. Evidence suggests up to 30% of women describe their birth experience as traumatic and experience some symptoms of intrusion, avoidance or hyper-arousal. Meta-analyses show post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 4% of women after birth and up to 18% of women in high risk groups. Rectification of this situation is essential. In 2016, 5.11 million babies were born in Europe, indicating that up to 1.5 million women may have had sub-optimal birth experiences and over 200,000 may have developed PTSD as a result. Developmental research has firmly established that the quality of infant-parent relationships is a critical factor in early and later childhood development, consequently, a family-centred approach to any investigation of birth-related trauma is critical, as trauma can be transmitted within the family system. Given the enormous economic burden it places on women, health systems, and particularly children, relatively small improvements in services to prevent, detect and treat this problem can benefit society significantly.
We have developed recommendations for practice include that care for women and birth partners must be given in ways that minimise negative birth experiences. Principles of trauma-informed care need to be integrated across maternity settings.
We are continuing to develop evidence to support the Implementation of recommendations for clinicians and policy makers in order to reduce traumatic births and childbirth-related PTSD worldwide and improve outcomes for women and families. Click here for further information.
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