gms | German Medical Science

3rd International Conference of the German Society of Midwifery Science (DGHWi)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hebammenwissenschaft e.V.

12.02.2016, Fulda

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Traumatic stress in midwives – Prevalence and risk factors

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  • corresponding author Julia Leinweber - Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Australia
  • Debra Creedy - Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Australia
  • Heather Rowe - Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  • Jenny Gamble - Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Australia

German Association of Midwifery Science. 3rd International Meeting of the German Association of Midwifery Science (DGHWi). Fulda, 12.-12.02.2016. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2016. Doc16dghwiP6

doi: 10.3205/16dghwi10, urn:nbn:de:0183-16dghwi108

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/dghwi2016/16dghwi10.shtml

Published: February 5, 2016

© 2016 Leinweber et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Outline

Text

Background: Midwives are frequently exposed to traumatic birth events [1][2]. Evidence points to an increased risk for posttraumatic stress following professional exposure to birth trauma [1][2]. Posttraumatic stress may affect professional functioning in midwives and thus reduce the quality of midwifery care.

Aims/research questions: What is the prevalence of posttraumatic stress in midwives registered in Australia? What are risk factors for posttraumatic stress in midwives registered in Australia?

Methods: A national internet survey of Australian midwives was conducted.

Results: 17% of midwives screened positive for probable PTSD. Multivariate analysis identified three main variables associated with probable PTSD: (1) feelings of horror during the event, (2) feelings of guilt during the event and (3) a personal traumatic experience when giving birth.

Relevance: Many Australian midwives report symptoms of posttraumatic stress. The sample was large but represents a relatively small proportion of the Australian midwifery workforce. This limits the generalisability of the results, which should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Recommendations/conclusions: Posttraumatic stress in midwives should be acknowledged as occupational stress by maternity care management. Trauma informed care and practice (TICP) [3] which acknowledges and responds to the impact of trauma among women and their care providers is recommended.

Ethical considerations: Approval to conduct the study was given by the Griffith University Human Research Ethics Committee (Ref No: NRS/50/13/HREC).

Outline

References

1.
Beck C, LoGiudice J, Gable RK. A mixed-methods study of secondary traumatic stress in certified nurse-midwives: shaken belief in the birth process. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2015 Jan-Feb;60(1):16-23. DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.12221 External link
2.
Sheen K, Spiby H, Slade P. Exposure to traumatic perinatal experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms in midwives: Prevalence and association with burnout. Int j of nurs stud. 2015;52(2):578-87. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2014.11.006 External link
3.
Poole N, Greaves L. Becoming trauma informed. Toronto, Kanada: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; 2012.