Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40590529›Full record

ArticleBirth (Berkeley, Calif.)2026

Birth Outcomes After Sexual Violence and the Role of Disclosure to the Maternity Care Provider.

Hannah de Klerk, Janneke Gitsels, Ank de Jonge, Elsa Montgomery, Janneke Van't Hooft, Marit van der Pijl, Martine Hollander, Corine Verhoeven

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Hannah de KlerkAmsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5216-8724
Janneke GitselsAmsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Ank de JongeAmsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Elsa MontgomeryMethodologies Division, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London, London, UK.
Janneke Van't HooftDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Marit van der PijlAmsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Martine HollanderAmalia Children's Hospital, Department of Obstetrics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Corine VerhoevenAmsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSexual violence (SV) history is associated with various birth outcomes. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of these associations have not been sufficiently explained. Disclosure of SV history to a maternity care provider may play an important role in maternity care providers' choice for birth interventions and in women's birth experience.

methodsA cross-sectional nationwide survey was conducted among women who had given birth in the 5 years prior to completing the questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed to compare the associations between SV history (total, disclosed, and undisclosed) and birth outcomes.

resultsOf 10,867 respondents, 1121 (10.3%) reported SV, of whom 582 (52%) disclosed to their maternity care provider. Respondents who disclosed their SV history had lower adjusted odds of episiotomy than respondents without an SV history (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.71, 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] 0.56-0.90). Primiparous respondents who disclosed their SV history had increased odds of unplanned cesarean birth compared to spontaneous (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.04-1.81) and assisted vaginal birth (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.17-2.61). Primiparous respondents with both a disclosed and undisclosed SV history had increased adjusted odds of negative birth (AOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.50-2.12). There were no differences in referral to obstetrician-led care, home birth, preterm labor, and pharmaceutical pain relief between groups.

conclusionsWhen people disclose their SV history, maternity care providers are less likely to perform an episiotomy, and more likely to choose an unplanned cesarean birth over vaginal birth. However, disclosure of SV history does not ameliorate the birth experience and we therefore recommend better implementation of trauma-informed birth support for women with an SV history.

Indexed as

Delivery, ObstetricDisclosurePregnancy OutcomeSex OffensesAdolescentAdultCesarean SectionCross-Sectional StudiesEpisiotomyFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsPregnancySurveys and QuestionnairesUnited StatesYoung Adultbirth experiencedisclosureintrapartum carelabor and birthmode of birthsexual violence

Identifiers

PMID40590529
PMCPMC12894503

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.