title: Towards a conceptual framework for understanding post-traumatic stress symptoms following childbirth and implications for further research.
abstract: This paper provides a synthesis of current knowledge about post-traumatic stress symptoms following childbirth. In particular it presents a two dimensional conceptual framework for understanding the development of symptoms based upon predisposing (pre-pregnancy/pregnancy), precipitating (perinatal) and maintaining (postnatal) factors, which relate to internal (within individual), external (environmental) and interactional factors. In addition key methodological issues and areas for further research are identified.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK. p.slade@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slade
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036801:Parturition / Q000523:psychology*; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*