Aim:The study aimed to determine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among postpartum women in Zahedan city, Iran. Method: Data in this cross-sectional study were gathered from healthcare centres of Zahedan, a city in south-east Iran. Four-hundred women with childbirth experience over the past few months were selected; between 6 and 24 weeks had passed since their delivery. We used three questionnaires in order to evaluate the demographic data, PTSD symptoms and traumatic childbirth experience. Results: The mean parity was 3.40±2.55 children and the mean duration of pain was 19.44±9.16 hours. Overall, 7.8%, 36% and 0.5% of the subjects had a previous history of curettage, episiotomy and vacuum evacuation, respectively. In total, 32% of the participants showed PTSD symptoms. Prevalence of PTSD was not significantly associated with parity, pain duration, education level or employment status. Significant correlation with PTSD was found with the mode of delivery (P=0.013), curettage (P=0.005) and length of hospitalization. Also, prevalence of PTSD was substantially associated with the type of pregnancy (planned or unintended) (P=0.011). Conclusion: Women with PTSD were not significantly different from those without PTSD in terms of parity, pain duration, education level or employment status. History of curettage, episiotomy and vacuum evacuation increased the incidence of PTSD in postpartum women. Moreover, unwanted pregnancy was more common among women with PTSD compared with normal subjects and length of hospitalization was longer. post-traumatic stress disorder / postpartum stress disorder / normal vaginal deliveryPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental condition. This anxiety disorder occurs following exposure to an extremely traumatic, terrifying or tragic event and is common among soldiers and veterans returning from war [1]. People with PTSD remember horrible memories and harbour persistent frightening thoughts. PTSD can result from various traumatic incidents including natural disasters, serious accidents, and violent attacks such as rape and mass destruction. Most people with PTSD have repeated traumatic recollections during the day and experience insomnia or nightmares at night. They respond to traumatic experiences with fear and develop high levels of anxiety. People with PTSD may feel more irritable, aggressive, violent or easily startled than they did in the past. In ad-
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