Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2022, 13(3):707-713 | DOI: 10.15452/cejnm.2022.13.0014

The correlation between postpartum stress disorder and maternal anxiety in different types of delivery (vaginal and cesarean section)

Fatemeh Rajani1, Farideh Vaziri2, Shahrzad Yektatalab3, Nasrin Sharifi4, Arash Mani5, Marzieh Akbarzadeh6
1 Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 Psychiatric Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4 Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Shiraz, Iran
5 Department of Psychiatric, Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
6 Maternal-fetal Medicine Research Center, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Aim: Post-traumatic stress disorder refers to a person’s experience of a traumatic event. Traumatic experiences during childbirth can cause postpartum stress in some women. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between postpartum stress disorder in different types of delivery (normal vaginal delivery and cesarean section) and maternal anxiety.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 714 pregnant mothers selected via cluster sampling six-eight weeks after their delivery in selected health centers. The data were collected using Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale I and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The data were then entered into the SPSS 20 software and were analyzed using a chi-square test. The significance level was set as p < 0.05.

Results: The results showed that most of the participants in the two groups had medium to low anxiety levels, and the two groups were homogeneous in this regard. However, the mean scores of obvious anxiety (p < 0.0001) and hidden anxiety (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in the normal vaginal delivery group compared to the cesarean section group. Moreover, post-traumatic stress score was significantly correlated to both obvious anxiety and hidden anxiety in the two study groups.

Conclusion: Postpartum stress disorder had a positive relationship with obvious anxiety and hidden anxiety in both study groups. Counseling may be effective in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder in women.

Keywords: anxiety, cesarean, delivery, disorder, postpartum stress, vaginal

Received: July 18, 2021; Revised: May 11, 2022; Accepted: June 6, 2022; Prepublished online: August 9, 2022; Published: September 5, 2022  Show citation

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Rajani F, Vaziri F, Yektatalab S, Sharifi N, Mani A, Akbarzadeh M. The correlation between postpartum stress disorder and maternal anxiety in different types of delivery (vaginal and cesarean section). Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2022;13(3):707-713. doi: 10.15452/cejnm.2022.13.0014.
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