Post-traumatic stress symptoms, rumination, and posttraumatic growth in women with a traumatic childbirth experience

Background: Rumination can either prolong distress or foster growth following traumatic experiences like childbirth. This study investigates the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms and post-traumatic growth in women who underwent traumatic childbirth, examining the potential mediating role of two types of rumination – intrusive and deliberate. Methods: A cross-sectional study in Northern Portugal from January 2020 to December 2021 surveyed 202 women with infants under 12 months, self-reporting traumatic childbirth experiences. Instruments included the City Birth Trauma Scale, Event-Related Rumination Inventory, and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory. Results: Women experienced various childbirth-related traumatic events, with most showing post-traumatic stress symptoms for over three months. Approximately 60% met post-traumatic stress disorder criteria. The results indicate that post-traumatic stress symptoms were positively correlated with post-traumatic growth, and both showed positive associations with intrusive rumination and deliberate rumination. Mediation analysis revealed deliberate rumination significantly

Keywords

Traumatic birth posttraumatic stress symptoms rumination post-traumatic growth women’s health

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/13624

Citation

Abreu, W., Brandão, S., Prata, A. P., Silva, R., Brandão, T., Riklikiene, O., Jarasiunaite-Fedosejeva, G., González Mesa, E. S., İsbir, G. G., Inci, F., Komurcu Akik, B., Uriko, K., Governo, T., & Thompson, G. (2025). Post-traumatic stress symptoms, rumination, and posttraumatic growth in women with a traumatic childbirth experience. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2025.2497401