ArticleBirth (Berkeley, Calif.)2024
The intersection of traumatic childbirth and obstetric racism: A qualitative study.
Article in Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Examining the Impact of the Syndemic on Black Birthing Individuals in the USA: a Systematic Review.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Pooled it
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment for birth trauma: a scoping review.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Article
- Article
- Racial microaggressions in prenatal care settings and perceived quality of prenatal care among Black/African American women.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Midwifery Care and Doula Support for Black Women in the United States: A Systematic Review of Maternal, Birth, and Infant Outcomes.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Review
- Listening to Unheard Voices: Addressing Systemic Racism to Improve Maternity Care for Black Women After Perinatal Loss.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Childbirth Experience, Mistreatment, and Migrant Status: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2025Article
- Racism and Postpartum Blood Pressure in a Multiethnic Prospective Cohort.Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) · 2025Article
- Article
- Health Equity and Perinatal Mental Health.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTraumatic childbirth experiences are common in the United States - affecting a third to a fourth of mothers - with significant negative impacts on maternal health. Yet most research on traumatic childbirth focuses on white mothers' experiences. Drawing on a racially and ethnically diverse sample of mothers who experienced traumatic childbirth, this exploratory qualitative study examined Black, Latina, and Asian mothers' traumatic birth experiences and the role of obstetric racism in shaping these experiences.
methodsIn-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2019-2020 with 30 mothers who identified as women of color (37% Black, 40% Latina, and 23% Asian) who gave birth in the US and self-identified as having experienced a traumatic childbirth. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
resultsMothers reported obstetric racism as core to their traumatic birth experiences. This racism manifested through practitioners' use of gendered and racialized stereotypes, denying and delegitimizing mothers' needs. Mothers shared key consequences of the obstetric racism they experienced, including postpartum anxiety and depression, increased medical mistrust, and decreased desire for future children.
conclusionsMothers' reports suggest that obstetric racism played a role in their traumatic birth experiences. Particularly, practitioners' deployment of gendered and racialized stereotypes influenced mothers' treatment during birth. These findings point to opportunities to address obstetric racism during childbirth and improve patients' experiences through enhancing their agency and empowerment. The findings, in addition, highlight the need for increased practitioner training in anti-racist practice and cultural humility.
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