A Systematic Concept Analysis of Psychological Birth Trauma in Couples

AI Summary

AIM: To explore the concepts and connotations of psychological birth trauma at the psychological level and to provide a reference for clinical practice. RESULTS: A total of 28 papers were included, summarizing the defining attributes of psychological birth trauma as the subjective feelings of the women and their partners, the appearance of avoidance behavior, throughout labor and until the postpartum period; the antecedents include self-factors, obstetric factors, medical related factors, and interpersonal factors; consequences include mental health, family relationships, and plans for another pregnancy. Furthermore, psychological birth trauma is a multidimensional phenomenon that requires comprehensive strategies involving social support systems, mental health services, and medical systems to help couples cope with the trauma and promote their mental health and family harmony.

Basic summary

Int J Womens Health. 2026 May 20;18:598308. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S598308. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To explore the concepts and connotations of psychological birth trauma at the psychological level and to provide a reference for clinical practice.

DESIGN: Concept analysis.

DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search on psychological birth trauma published between May 2021 and March 2024 in CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Database, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO.

METHODS: Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method. The authors followed the PRISMA checklist.

RESULTS: A total of 28 papers were included, summarizing the defining attributes of psychological birth trauma as the subjective feelings of the women and their partners, the appearance of avoidance behavior, throughout labor and until the postpartum period; the antecedents include self-factors, obstetric factors, medical related factors, and interpersonal factors; consequences include mental health, family relationships, and plans for another pregnancy.

CONCLUSION: This concept analysis provides a theoretical basis for subsequent in-depth research, demonstrating that birth and related events not only triggered psychological burdens for women but also caused negative emotional experiences for partners. By offering a more complete conceptualization, it helps healthcare personnel better identify psychological birth trauma in couples. Furthermore, psychological birth trauma is a multidimensional phenomenon that requires comprehensive strategies involving social support systems, mental health services, and medical systems to help couples cope with the trauma and promote their mental health and family harmony.

PMID:42199944 | PMC:PMC13199618 | DOI:10.2147/IJWH.S598308

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