Research Assistant, Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, City University of London.
Professor, Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, City University of London.
Midwifery. 2023 Aug;123:103732. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2023.103732. Epub 2023 May 20.
Ongoing distress following a traumatic birth experience, commonly known as birth trauma, can lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Experiencing birth trauma can affect personal well-being and impact the couple relationship.
The present study aimed to explore the lived experience of the impact of birth trauma on the couple relationship and related support requirements.
A purposive sample of men and women in the UK who had experienced birth as traumatic were recruited and interviewed remotely in 2021. Data were analysed using framework analysis in NVivo 12.
The sample (N=18) contained 9 women who were first time parents and 9 men; 5 of which were first time parents and 4 who had two children. Twelve themes are reported related to the impact of birth trauma on the couple relationship. Findings suggest the impact of birth trauma on the couple relationship can be negative and distressing, or for some lead to a strengthened relationship. Fourteen themes are reported related to associated birth trauma support. Negative aspects of support were reported in themes: unavailability of help from friends and family; unhelpful birth debriefing services; no personal awareness of birth trauma; absence of trauma validation from health care professionals; lack of awareness of the emotional needs of men; and barriers to accessing psychological services. Potential improvements to support included: supporting parents to understand the traumatic events; birth trauma informed antenatal preparation; improving access to specialist psychological services; and compassionate parent centred maternity services.
The impact of birth trauma on the couple relationship appears complex with both positive and negative affects reported. Current support for the impact of birth trauma on the couple relationship has perceived inadequacies for which improvements are proposed.
创伤性分娩经历后持续的痛苦，通常被称为分娩创伤，可能导致创伤后应激症状。经历分娩创伤会影响个人幸福感，并影响夫妻关系。
本研究旨在探讨分娩创伤对夫妻关系的影响以及相关支持需求的体验。
2021 年，采用目的抽样法招募了英国有创伤性分娩经历的男性和女性，并进行远程访谈。使用 NVivo 12 中的框架分析对数据进行分析。
样本（N=18）包括 9 名初为人父母的女性和 9 名男性；其中 5 名为初为人父母，4 名有两个孩子。报告了 12 个与分娩创伤对夫妻关系影响相关的主题。研究结果表明，分娩创伤对夫妻关系的影响可能是负面和痛苦的，或者对一些人来说会导致关系加强。报告了与分娩创伤相关支持相关的 14 个主题。主题中报告了支持方面的负面方面：朋友和家人无法提供帮助；分娩后辅导服务没有帮助；没有个人意识到分娩创伤；医疗保健专业人员没有对创伤进行验证；没有意识到男性的情感需求；以及难以获得心理服务。潜在的支持改进包括：支持父母了解创伤性事件；提供基于分娩创伤的产前准备；改善获得专业心理服务的机会；以及提供以父母为中心的富有同情心的产妇服务。
分娩创伤对夫妻关系的影响似乎很复杂，既有积极影响，也有消极影响。目前针对分娩创伤对夫妻关系的支持存在不足之处，提出了改进措施。
