Examining the association between subjective childbirth experience and maternal mental health at six months postpartum

ABSTRACT

Problem

Childbirth experience can have long-lasting effects on maternal wellbeing.

Background

Positive childbirth experiences may strengthen maternal self-confidence, in contrast, negativeexperiences may promote a sense of failure or distrust.

Aim

To examine the contribution of maternal hospital childbirth experience on mental health at 6 months postpartum in a community-based, Chilean sample. An additional aim is to examine which childbirth-related aspects contribute to the global birth experience.

Methods

One hundred and forty-eight women completed self-report measures of mental health during the third trimester of pregnancy and 3 and 6 months postpartum. At 3months after childbirth, subjective childbirth experience was assessed. Logistic regression analysis examined the contribution of childbirth experience to maternal mental health.

Findings

Negative subjective experience of childbirth contributes to maternal depression and anxiety up to 6 months after childbirth, controlling for mental health during pregnancy and at 3 months postpartum. Quality of care from health professionals made the largest, statistically significant contribution to the global perception of childbirth.

Discussion and Conclusions

Subjective experience of childbirth is a modifiable risk factor for the development of postpartum maternal depression and anxiety. Health providers in direct contact with childbearing women may promote maternal emotional wellbeing through sensitive and respectful care.

KEYWORDS:

• Postpartum depression
• childbirth
• anxiety disorders
• maternal health

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the families who participated in this study and the family health centers Santa Julia (Santiago) and Víctor Manuel Fernández (Concepción) who supported its execution.

This study was supported by CONICYT, Grant Fondecyt N°11170338.

The present Project was approved by the Concepción Health Service Ethics Committee. The approval number is: 17-11-79 and the date of approval was 9 January 2018.

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, Coo, S. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica [11170338].