Protecting mothers against posttraumatic stress symptoms related to childbirth: What's the role of formal and informal support?

Background and objectives: The risk and protective factors of posttraumatic stress symptoms related to childbirth (CB-PTSD) have been recently investigated. Although the general support received by the mothers is considered to play a positive role, the precise function of each type of support is still misunderstood. This study aimed to ascertain whether forms of informal and formal support better predict CB-PTSD symptoms and whether adverse delivery experiences and prior psychological issues moderated this relationship.

Methods: 526 mothers of infants (< 24 months) completed an online survey containing the Modified Perinatal Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21, and items that evaluated various sources of support.

Results: Findings showed that satisfaction with support received from friends and during hospital stay contributed negatively to CB-PTSD symptoms, regardless of other forms of formal and informal support. Overall, the conditional effects revealed that less satisfaction with distinct forms of formal support was associated with more CB-PTSD symptoms among mothers with a high or moderate history of psychological problems. Adverse delivery experiences moderated the relationships between satisfaction with support during childbirth and hospital stay and CB-PTSD symptoms through a similar pattern.

Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of specific forms of support and contextual factors in preventing CB-PTSD.