Abstract
Objective: Quantitative studies examining the occurrence of childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) following severe perineal rupture are lacking. The objective of this population-based study was to investigate the prospective associations between the degree of perineal tear during childbirth and CB-PTSD symptoms, when adjusting for known covariates (maternal age, years of school education, premature birth, and parity). We hypothesized that women with different degrees of perineal tear will differ regarding (1) the level of CB-PTSD symptoms at 8 weeks and 2 years postpartum and (2) the rate of change in CB-PTSD symptoms from 8 weeks to 2 years postpartum. Method: Secondary data analysis from the Akershus Birth Cohort, a large population-based prospective cohort study using self-report questionnaires and hospital record data. Results: The degree of perineal tear was significantly associated with CB-PTSD symptoms at 8 weeks and 2 years postpartum. However, the degree of perineal tear was not significantly associated with the change in CB-PTSD symptoms over time. Similar patterns were found for both total CB-PTSD symptoms as well as for avoidance and intrusion symptoms only. Conclusion: Results seem to support a dose–response model, suggesting that the higher the severity of the perineal tear, the higher the posttraumatic morbidity.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 446-457 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica |
Volume | 150 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 7 Aug 2023 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 The Authors. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Funding
The Akershus Birth Cohort study was funded by the Norwegian Research Council (project no. 191098). This paper contributes to the EU COST Action CA18211: DEVoTION: Perinatal Mental Health and Birth‐Related Trauma: Maximizing best practice and optimal outcomes, where SGN, DH, AH are management committee members, with SGN and AH also serving as board members. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
Funders | Funder number |
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Norges Forskningsråd | 191098 |
Keywords
- PTSD
- childbirth
- cohort
- perineal tear
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- prospective