The Effect of Supportive Counseling on Mother Psychological Reactions and Mother–Infant Bonding Following Traumatic Childbirth

Abstract

Women experienced traumatic childbirth talk about the lack of opportunity to express their worries and stresses. However, providing psychological support to reduce the long-term and severe consequences is essential. The present study aimed to determine the effect of supportive counseling on mother psychological reactions and mother-infant bonding following traumatic childbirth. This quasi experimental study was performed on 166 postpartum women with psychological birth trauma admitted to public hospitals in Arak, Iran. Postpartum bonding questionnaire was filled before hospital discharge. The women were randomly assigned into the intervention and control groups. The intervention group (n = 83) received individual supportive counseling for two in-person sessions before hospital discharge, and 10–15 days after delivery and a telephone consultation during 4–6 weeks after delivery. The data were collected using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and the postpartum bonding questionnaire, after 2 months. The data were analyzed using SPSS₂₁ software and chi-square, t-test, and ANCOVA were used. The mean score of postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (MD: −13.40, 95% CI: −10.66 to −16.15, P < 0.001). The severity of the PTSD symptoms in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (MD: −6.37, 95% CI: −3.55 to −9.18, P = 0.04). The mean (SD) of mother-infant bonding after controlling the effect of baseline score indicated a significant difference between the two groups (MD: −7.82, 95% CI: −6.53 to −9.11, P < 0.001). The supportive counseling seems to be effective in reducing PPD and PTSD symptoms, and improving postpartum bonding after traumatic childbirth. The use of group supportive counseling with other time intervals and long follow-up period is recommended. Further, other intervention approaches should be used for preventing the progression of psychological birth trauma toward PTSD.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical considerations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran (IR.TBZMED.REC.1399.210). The study complies with the World Medical Association Helsinki Declaration regarding the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. Informed written consent was obtained from each participant. The principles of anonymity and confidentiality were applied and the results of the request were presented to the participants. The participants were referred to a psychiatrist for examination if their PTSD score was 33 or more and EPDS score was 13 and above.