Birth related PTSD and its association with the mother-infant relationship: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: There is a growing body of research showing that birth related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may impact the mother-infant relationship. The present study assessed the strength of the association between birth related PTSD symptoms and the mother-infant relationship.

Method: A total of twelve studies (5,572 participants) were included based on database searches using PubMed, EBSCO and ProQuest.

Results: The findings showed that greater levels of birth related PTSD symptoms were associated with poorer mother-infant relationship, r = -0.36, 95% CI: [-0.43 - -0.28], random effects model. The outcomes appeared to be heterogeneous (Q(11) = 81.63, p <.001, tau² = 0.0123, I² = 80.73%), despite all outcomes being in the same direction as the overall outcome.

Conclusions: The results indicated that birth related PTSD symptoms are negatively associated with the mother-infant relationship. Further investigation into the prevention of birth related trauma is suggested. Improving birthing experiences for mothers is likely to contribute to improved infant mental health, thereby reducing overall social and economic costs.

Keywords: Birth; Infant mental health; Maternal mental health; Mother-infant relationship; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Trauma.