Yeela Tomsis1
Faculty of social welfare & health sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
Title: Different coping strategies influence the development of PTSD among first-time mothers.
Biography
Biography: Yeela Tomsis1
Abstract
Background: Normal maternal stress during childbirth can sometimes evolve into greater levels of distress, leading to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies have shown that 1-6% of postpartum women experienced full spectrum PTSD. Individual personal characteristics, coping strategies and the birth related experience may positively or negatively alter a woman’s vulnerability to post-traumatic symptoms (PTS).
Objective: to evaluate different coping strategies for PTS, described in the non-obstetric trauma literature, with respect to first time postpartum women.
Method: This was a prospective cohort study. Eligible women had a singleton pregnancy and delivered a healthy newborn at term. Five sets of questionnaires (perceived difficulty of the labor, cognitive emotion regulation, conservation of resources, parental perceived competence, and posttraumatic stress disorder checklist) were sent to the participants six weeks postpartum. Posttraumatic stress disorder was defined as per DSM-V criteria.