The Overwhelming Challenge of Losing One's Sense of Wholeness: A Grounded Theory Study on Women's Experiential Process of Birth Trauma.

backgroundThe physical and emotional experiences women undergo during childbirth influence not only the formation of their maternal role but also their willingness to have additional children. Birth trauma can lead to a depressed mental state in the postpartum period, which further complicates breastfeeding and the development of the mother-infant bond. PURPOSE: In this study, the experiential process of women with the experience of birth trauma during labor and delivery is explored.

methodsStrauss and Corbin's grounded theory and purposive sampling were employed. Fifteen postpartum women were recruited, and face-to-face interviews were conducted from August 1 to November 30, 2024. A semistructured interview guide was used, and data analysis was performed using the constant comparative method from grounded theory.

resultsGrounded theory was used to explore the experiential process of women who underwent birth trauma. The core category "overwhelming challenge of losing one's sense of wholeness" that emerged from the narratives of the participants encompassed five subcategories, including unimaginable pain, loss of dignity, ignored emotions, unease from invasion of bodily privacy, and endless waiting. The outcome category was "I do not want to experience another childbirth." CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of the exploration in this study of the process underlying the trauma experience of women during labor and delivery highlight the urgent need to improve the quality of care provided during labor. Obstetric clinicians and health care administrators may apply the theoretical model developed in this study to design appropriate continuing education programs and intervention strategies that, for example, implement shared decision-making, provide individualized care, and offer diverse methods for pain relief. It is hoped these findings will contribute to enhancing clinical practices, improving the quality of labor and delivery, and fostering more positive childbirth experiences for women.