ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2024
Are 6 more accurate than 4? The influence of different modes of delivery on postpartum depression and PTSD.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Traumatic Childbirth Experiences and their Association with Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and correlates of postpartum PTSD following emergency cesarean sections: implications for perinatal mental health care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Identifying risk factors associated with postpartum depression: a retrospective case-control study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- The role of partner support in the association between water birth and postpartum depression.Scientific reports · 2026Observational
- Assessment of prevalence, perceptions, and factors associated with reported history of caesarean section among women in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Prevalence and determinants of postpartum depression among postnatal clinic attendees at the Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.The Pan African medical journal · 2026Article
- Influence of Neuraxial Anesthesia Technique During Vaginal and Cesarean Delivery and Association with Postpartum Depression: A Narrative Review of Literature.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Review
- The Rising Global Cesarean Section Rates and Their Impact on Maternal and Child Health: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Exploring Bridge Symptoms in Postpartum Women With Comorbid Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Depression and anxiety · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEmpirical evidence shows that 4.6-6.3% of all women develop a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and approximately 10-15% postpartum depression (PPD) following childbirth. This study explores the relationship between delivery mode and the occurrence of PTSD and PPD, specifically examining four distinct caesarean section (CS) modes: primary on maternal request (Grade 4), medically indicated primary (Grade 3), secondary CS from relative indication (Grade 2) and emergency secondary CS (Grade 1), compared to vaginal and assisted vaginal delivery (AVD). The research aims to understand how these six subcategories of delivery modes impact PPD and PTSD levels. Common predictors, including the need for psychological treatment before childbirth, fear of childbirth, planning of pregnancy, induction of labor, birth debriefing, and lack of social support after childbirth, will be analyzed to determine their association with postpartum mental health outcomes.
methodsThe study was planned and carried out by a research team of the psychology department at the Medical School Hamburg, Germany. Within an online-study (cross-sectional design) N = 1223 German speaking women with a baby who did not die before, during or after birth were surveyed once between four weeks and twelve months postpartum via an anonymous online questionnaire on demographic and gynecological data, delivery mode, PTSD (PCL-5) and PPD (EPDS).
resultsFor both psychiatric disorders, ANOVA revealed significant differences between delivery mode and PPD and PTSD. With weak effects for PPD and medium to strong effects for PTSD. Post-hoc tests showed increased levels of PPD for two CS types (Grade 1, Grade 3) compared to vaginal delivery. For PTSD, secondary CS from relative indication (Grade 2), emergency secondary CS (Grade 1) and assisted vaginal delivery (AVD) were associated with elevated levels of PTSD. Regression analysis revealed delivery mode as a significant predictor of EPDS- (medium effect size) and PCL-5-Score (medium to high effect size). LIMITATION: Delivery was considered as the potential traumatic event, and any previous traumas were not documented. Additionally, the categorization of delivery modes relied on subjective reports rather than medical confirmation.
conclusionThe study highlights the influence of delivery mode on the mental health of postpartum mothers: different modes influence postpartum disorders in various ways. However, the definition of delivery mode was only stated subjectively and not medically confirmed. Further research should investigate which aspects of the different delivery modes affect maternal mental health and explore how the perception of childbirth may be influenced by specific delivery experiences.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.