Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA.
School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.
J Affect Disord. 2022 Sep 15;313:163-166. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.06.076. Epub 2022 Jun 27.
Although posttraumatic psychological growth (PTG) occurs following stressful events, knowledge of maternal psychological growth as a result of giving birth during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is lacking.
We assessed PTG associated with recent childbirth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) in a sample of 2205 women who gave birth during the pandemic and 540 who gave birth before. They also provided information about birth-related traumatic stress (Peritraumatic Distress Inventory; PTSD Checklist), mother-infant bonding (Maternal Attachment Inventory), and breastfeeding.
Close to two thirds (60.45 %) of participants reported childbirth-related PTG with greater appreciation of life endorsed most frequently. No group differences in PTG prevalence were noted between deliveries during or before COVID-19 (χ = 0.35, p = 0.84). A multigroup mediation model revealed that in deliveries during the pandemic, childbirth-related acute stress was linked with elevated PTG (β = 0.07, p < 0.01); in turn, PTG was associated with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms (β = -0.06, p < 0.05) and better mother-infant bonding (β = 0.22, p < 0.001). These indirect paths via PTG were not significant in deliveries before the pandemic.
Reliance on a convenient sample, self-reports, and cross-sectional design may introduce bias.
Perceived positive maternal psychological changes as a result of childbirth are endorsed by a significant portion of women during the pandemic and can ensue in response to traumatic childbirth. Maternal growth is further implicated in successful postpartum adjustment and positive mother-infant interactions during an important period. Hence, directing clinical attention to opportunities of maternal psychological growth may have benefits especially for women at risk for the adverse outcomes of exposure to traumatic experiences of childbirth.
虽然创伤后心理成长（PTG）会在应激事件后发生，但对于女性在新冠疫情期间分娩所带来的心理成长知之甚少。
我们评估了 2205 名在疫情期间分娩和 540 名在疫情前分娩的女性的近期分娩相关的 PTG（创伤后成长量表）。她们还提供了与分娩相关的创伤性应激（创伤后应激障碍清单；创伤后应激障碍检查表）、母婴联系（母婴联系量表）和母乳喂养的信息。
近三分之二（60.45%）的参与者报告了与分娩相关的 PTG，其中最常被提及的是对生活的更加欣赏。在疫情期间和疫情前分娩的参与者中，PTG 的发生率没有差异（χ=0.35，p=0.84）。多组中介模型显示，在疫情期间分娩时，与分娩相关的急性应激与较高的 PTG 相关（β=0.07，p<0.01）；反之，PTG 与较低的创伤后应激症状（β=-0.06，p<0.05）和更好的母婴联系（β=0.22，p<0.001）相关。在疫情前分娩时，这些通过 PTG 的间接路径不显著。
依赖于方便样本、自我报告和横断面设计可能会引入偏差。
在疫情期间，相当一部分女性认可分娩带来的积极的母亲心理变化，并且可能会因为创伤性分娩而产生这种变化。母亲的成长进一步涉及到产后调整和母婴互动的成功，这在一个重要时期尤为重要。因此，关注母亲心理成长的机会可能对那些因接触分娩创伤性经历而面临不良后果的女性特别有益。
