Validity and Reliability Study of the Childbirth Trauma Index

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to seek evidence for the validity and reliability of the Childbirth Trauma Index Scale, originally developed by Anderson for adolescents, among women in 18–45 age group.MethodTwo hundred twenty women who were in the postpartum period until 72 hours after birth were included in the study. In the study, the Impact of Events Scale was used to test the criterion validity of the Childbirth Trauma Index Scale, being adapted to Turkish.ResultsThe goodness of fit values obtained by the first level CFA (x2 (19, N = 220) 91.75; p < .01; x2/SD = 4.82; CMIN: 91,75; RMSEA = 0.132; CFI = .90; GFI = .90) shows that the proposed two-factor model is acceptable in accordance with the data.ConclusionBirth Trauma Index is recommended to be used as a data collection tool in postpartum clinics and primary health care services by health personnel in order to detect postpartum birth trauma.

Measuring Adolescent Birth Trauma: Development, Adaptation, and Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties for the Childbirth Trauma Index

Background and Purpose:Childbirth can have negative consequences; however, measurement tools to assess this event are limited; and none consider the adolescent’s birth. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the childbirth trauma index (CTI).Methods:Construct validity and reliability of the CTI was assessed via a field test involving 160 adolescents 3 days postpartum.Results:A modified 8-item version of the original CTI exhibited acceptable construct validity and reliability criteria. The CTI was found to link with birth appraisal, but not subjective distress measurements.Conclusions:The CTI may be a more robust means of assessing birth appraisal than use of single-item measures. Recommendations for practice suggest use of the modified CTI to assess birth appraisal, or use in combination with single-item rating scales

Childbirth trauma

Pelvic floor disorders are strongly associated with childbirth and are more prevalent in parous women. Pelvic floor trauma commonly occurs at the time of the first vaginal childbirth. Conventionally, childbirth trauma refers to perineal and vaginal trauma following delivery and the focus has been on the perineal body and the anal sphincter complex. However, childbirth trauma may involve different aspects of the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor trauma during vaginal childbirth may involve tissue rupture, compression, and stretching, resulting in nerve, muscle, and connective tissue damage. Some women may be more susceptible to pelvic floor trauma than others due to collagen weakness. Childbirth trauma affects millions of women worldwide. The incidence of perineal trauma is over 91% in nulliparous women and over 70% in multiparous women. A clinical diagnosis of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASIS) is made in between 1% and 11% of women following vaginal delivery. Increased training and awareness around OASIS is associated with an increase in the reported incidence. Short- and long-term symptoms of childbirth trauma can have a significant effect on daily activities, psychological well-being, sexual function, and overall quality of life.

Childbirth Distress: A Call for Professional Engagement

Among women who give birth, roughly half describe their birth experiences as traumatic. Childbirth trauma is a topic of growing global interest for health and mental health professions. However, social work remains peripheral in this emerging area of scholarship and practice. This article presents a portion of findings from recent feminist narrative social work research exploring women’s narratives of their experiences of emotional distress in childbirth to illustrate the need for increased professional engagement with this important social issue. Analysis of participants’ narratives illustrates how Foucault’s discourse and power/knowledge can be useful in understanding the subtle social forces that shape birth experiences which may result in emotional distress. In this article, I argue the topic of childbirth distress falls within the reproductive rights framework and should be of importance to social workers. The findings presented below are discussed in the context of the International Federation of Social Workers’ ethical principles and its policy statement on women to support this position.