Wang Ying, Liu Cuiping, Sun Yujie, Yuan Yaqing, Chen Liping
School of Nursing, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China.
Intensive Care Unit, AnYang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Jan 9;25(1):18. doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07146-6.
Psychological birth trauma represents a significant global public health concern, with an estimated 45% of new mothers reporting such an experience. Researchers mostly focus on the impacts of postpartum mental health issues, such as postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder, minimal attention has been given to the antecedents of psychological birth trauma. This study seeks to investigate the correlation between fear of childbirth and psychological birth trauma among Chinese women who have undergone natural childbirth, as well as the mediating role of coping styles in the association between fear of childbirth and psychological birth trauma.
This cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 women who underwent natural childbirth between June and December 2021 in Shandong Province, China. Data were gathered using the Wijma Delivery Experience Questionnaire, Trait Coping Style Questionnaire, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The structural equation model (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships between variables and to develop the final model.
The prevalence of psychological birth trauma among women who had experienced natural childbirth was recorded at 10.27%. The mean score and standard deviation of psychological birth trauma, fear of birth, positive coping (PC), and negative coping (NC) among these women were 19.7 ± 12.5, 76.9 ± 21.3, 35.66 ± 7.05, and 28.20 ± 7.99, respectively. Findings indicated that women's fear of childbirth was directly (B = 0.340, p = 0.001) and indirectly (B = 0.124, p = 0.001) linked to women's psychological birth trauma. Additionally, women's PC was negatively associated with psychological birth trauma (B= -0.352, p = 0.001), while NC was positively associated with psychological birth trauma (B = 0.199, p = 0.001).
Chinese women who experienced natural childbirth encountered a moderate level of psychological birth trauma. Women's coping style plays a pivotal mediating role in the connection between fear of childbirth and psychological birth trauma. Consequently, interventions aimed at diminishing women's fear of childbirth and enhancing PC skills should be devised and implemented to alleviate women's psychological birth trauma.
分娩心理创伤是一个重大的全球公共卫生问题，估计有45%的新妈妈报告有过这样的经历。研究人员大多关注产后心理健康问题的影响，如产后创伤后应激障碍，而对分娩心理创伤的 antecedents 关注较少。本研究旨在调查自然分娩的中国女性中分娩恐惧与分娩心理创伤之间的相关性，以及应对方式在分娩恐惧与分娩心理创伤之间关联中的中介作用。
本横断面研究在中国山东省420名于2021年6月至12月期间自然分娩的女性中进行。使用 Wijma 分娩体验问卷、特质应对方式问卷和事件影响量表修订版收集数据。采用结构方程模型（SEM）来检验变量之间的关系并建立最终模型。
自然分娩女性中分娩心理创伤的患病率为10.27%。这些女性在分娩心理创伤、分娩恐惧、积极应对（PC）和消极应对（NC）方面的平均得分和标准差分别为19.7±12.5、76.9±21.3、35.66±7.05和28.20±7.99。研究结果表明，女性的分娩恐惧与分娩心理创伤直接相关（B = 0.340，p = 0.001）且间接相关（B = 0.124，p = 0.001）。此外，女性的积极应对与分娩心理创伤呈负相关（B = -0.352，p = 0.001），而消极应对与分娩心理创伤呈正相关（B = 0.199，p = 0.001）。
经历自然分娩的中国女性遭遇了中等程度的分娩心理创伤。女性的应对方式在分娩恐惧与分娩心理创伤之间的联系中起着关键的中介作用。因此，应设计并实施旨在减少女性分娩恐惧和提高积极应对技能的干预措施，以减轻女性的分娩心理创伤。
