Observational studyBMC pregnancy and childbirth2024
The relationship between traumatic childbirth and first-time mothers' social identity and wellbeing: a cross-sectional observational study.
Observational study 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 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Traumatic Childbirth Experiences and their Association with Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2026Pooled it
- Risk factors for birth trauma and postpartum posttraumatic stress in the United Kingdom: Results from the international survey of childbirth-related trauma.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Predictors of Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Traumatic Birth: The Influence of Lifetime Trauma, Violence, and Coping Strategies-A Prospective Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Effect of Psychoeducational Childbirth Preparation with Relaxation on PTSD and Childbirth Fear After Traumatic Birth: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExperiencing childbirth as traumatic is common and can have long-lasting negative consequences for women's mental health. However, fostering a sense of social identity has been shown to protect psychological wellbeing and mental health during life transitions, such as entering parenthood. This study therefore investigated the relationship between traumatic childbirth and first-time mothers' social identity and their psychological wellbeing, and more specifically whether strength of identity as a first-time mother protected psychological wellbeing following traumatic childbirth.
methodWomen over the age of 18 who were living in the UK and had given birth to their first child in the past nine months were recruited to the study from clinical and community settings. They completed digital self-report questionnaires about their birth experience, social identity, mental health, and psychological wellbeing. Women who perceived themselves to have had a traumatic birth (the trauma group; N = 84) were compared to women who did not perceive themselves to have had a traumatic birth (the control group, N = 39). T-tests and chi square tests assessed preliminary group differences before multivariate analyses of covariance controlled for covariates. Post-hoc tests identified the direction of differences. Multiple regression and moderation analyses analysed interaction effects.
resultsThe trauma group had significantly lower psychological wellbeing (mean = 41.5, 95% CI [39.4-43.7], p = .008, partial η
conclusionsHaving a traumatic birth was associated with lower psychological wellbeing, and the strength of first-time mother identity does not appear to moderate this relationship. Factors such as mode of birth may be more important. Further research, including longitudinal designs, is needed to understand the relationship between these constructs and identify more effective ways of protecting first-time mothers' mental health.
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