Postpartum counselling after an emergency cesarean

Abstract

The aim of this study was to try a model of early postpartum counselling for women after emergency cesarean section. A counselling group (n=50) received three to four consultations during the first 2–3 weeks after delivery. Exposure to traumatic events, and discussion of the implications and consequences of the emergency cesarean section were important parts of the sessions. The women's cognitive appraisal of the delivery was more positive, and posttraumatic stress reactions less serious than in a comparison group (n=49), at 1 and 6 months postpartum. General mental distress of the women in the counselling group was less marked, compared with the comparison group 1 month postpartum. Thus, the women in general appeared to have benefited from the counselling. However, the counselling had no demonstrable effect on two extreme groups; those with the most serious posttraumatic stress reactions and those with the most serious mental distress. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Management of post traumatic stress disorder after childbirth: a review

“…Three found the interventions to improve PTSD status [55,57,58]. The remaining studies found either no significant effect [56,59,60], or even a possible adverse influence [61]. There were many sources of heterogeneity between studies regarding samples and interventions, which may explain the inconclusive findings of the literature review.…”

“…There were many sources of heterogeneity between studies regarding samples and interventions, which may explain the inconclusive findings of the literature review. The debriefing and counselling methods explored are quite diverse in nature; they vary from group [55,59] to individual therapy; between single [56,61], and multiple sessions [55,[57][58][59][60]; and regarding the content of each intervention. Specifically, the studies retrieved encompassed psychological debriefing [61], critical incident stress debriefing [56,58,60], counselling [59,82] and cognitive enhancement counselling [55].…”

“…The debriefing and counselling methods explored are quite diverse in nature; they vary from group [55,59] to individual therapy; between single [56,61], and multiple sessions [55,[57][58][59][60]; and regarding the content of each intervention. Specifically, the studies retrieved encompassed psychological debriefing [61], critical incident stress debriefing [56,58,60], counselling [59,82] and cognitive enhancement counselling [55]. Certain studies included women who had experienced all modes of delivery [55,56,58,61] while others restricted their sample to those women who had undergone an operative delivery [60] or EmCS [57,59].…”

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Multiple-Session Early Interventions Following Traumatic Events

“…Eight studies (36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)43) evaluated brief psychosocial interventions aimed at preventing PTSD in individuals exposed to a specific traumatic event. All started within 1 month of the trauma.…”

Factors associated with changes into public or private maternity care for a second pregnancy

“…Trials and other studies have reported mixed evidence on the effectiveness of midwife or obstetrician-led debriefing after birth on mental distress. [19][20][21] , although the effect of debriefing (and choice of 'debriefer') on subsequent birth options does not appear to have been studied. Importantly, the higher rates of adverse outcomes at first birth in public patients are likely related to the higher risk population treated in public care settings.…”