The trauma of birth

The trauma of birth is an international concern for all childbearing women globally. Since changes in 1994 to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual that included childbirth as a potentially traumatic event, several clusters of researchers, particularly representing the Scandinavian countries, the United Kingdom, and Australia, have emerged. Their research findings appear in numerous publications; yet, what is known from these studies is based on a variety of methodological designs and differing measurement tools making it difficult to draw many firm conclusions (Ayers, 2004 Ayers, S. (2004). Delivery as a traumatic event: Prevalence, risk factors, and treatment for postnatal posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology, 47, 552–567. doi:10.1097/01.grf.0000129919.00756.9c[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Ayers, Joseph, Mc-Kenzie-McHarg, Slade, & Wijma, 2008 Ayers, S., Joseph, S, McKenzie-McHarg, K., Slade, P., & Wijma, K. (2008). Posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: Current issues and recommendations for future research. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 29, 240–250. doi: 10.1080/01674820802034631[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This review offers information obtained from frequently cited, current and seminal research studies describing the trauma of birth among women of the world.