Prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following Childbirth and It’s Relation with Delivery Satisfaction and Percieved Supports in Women Referred to Arak Health Complexes, 2017

Abstract

Introduction: Women who experience severe distress during the process of childbirth might develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with feeling the danger of death or severe trauma for the mother or the infant. Considering the changes in the diagnostic criteria of traumatic birth from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-4) to DSM5 and the adverse consequences of PTSD following childbirth, the present study was conducted. The aim of the study was to determine prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following Childbirth and It’s Relation with Delivery Satisfaction and Percieved Supports in Women Referred to Arak Health Complexes. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to September 2017 on 375 postpartum women who experienced traumatic birth based on the criteria DSM-5 [A] and referred to the health complexes of Arak, Iran, between 42-60 days postpartum. Multistage sampling was used; That means from 46 health complexes of Arak, about 23 centers were randomly selected through www.Random.org, and convenience sampling was used. Data gathering tools were demographic and maternal-neonatal characteristics questionnaire, The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale and Winefield & Tiggmann Social support questionnaire. To prevent exhaustion of the participants, some of the questions such as infant’s weight and gestational age were written by the researcher using the health profile of the participants. Chi square test, trend Chi test, independent t-test, Mann Withney U Test and multivariate logistic regression test, were used for data analysis. Results: The prevalence of PTSD following childbirth was 26.7%. Logistic regression results found that childbirth satisfaction (OR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.96-0.98, P < 0.001), and support during and after delivery (OR = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.26-0.91, P = 0.004) significantly decreased risk of PTSD following childbirth and infant’s restlessness increased its risk (OR = 3.04, 95%CI: 1.39-6.64, P=0.004). Discussion: Considering the high prevalence of PTSD following childbirth and its adverse consequences, designing appropriate interventions for improving labor experiences and enhancing support during and after delivery to prevent PTSD seems necessary. Keywords: Traumatic birth, prevalence, post-traumatic stress disorder, delivery satisfaction, social support