Post-traumatic symptoms after childbirth: what should we offer?
Most studies on post-traumatic stress symptoms after childbirth have focused on prevalence of and looked at etiological factors and predictors. While most authors agree that around 1.5% of the women develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and significantly more present with post-traumatic stress symptoms, the studies still lack a proper diagnosis using diagnostic interviews to validate the enhanced stress scores found in questionnaires. Also, some relevant predicting factors such as pre-existing psychopathology and dissociation during labor have not been investigated so far. Mostly, however, research on counseling strategies for women with post-traumatic symptoms after childbirth has been neglected. While most women remain in a mother-child unit during the first days after birth, there is a unique opportunity to systematically assess birth experience in this setting and screen for women at risk for developing trauma symptoms. This article presents a multilevel counseling approach including postnatal counseling and counseling in a subsequent pregnancy.
Alder
Judith
J
Women's Hospital, University Clinic Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland. jalder@uhbs.ch
Stadlmayr
Werner
W
Tschudin
Sibil
S
Bitzer
Johannes
J
D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000523:psychology; D036801:Parturition / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*