Skip to content
EMDR International Association
  • About EMDR Therapy
    • What is EMDR therapy?
      • Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model
      • EMDR Therapy & Addiction
      • EMDR Therapy & Anxiety
      • EMDR Therapy & Childhood Trauma
      • EMDR Therapy & Depression
      • EMDR Therapy & PTSD
    • Experiencing EMDR Therapy
    • EMDR Therapy in Treatment Guidelines
    • Recent Research on EMDR Therapy
    • Find an EMDR Therapist®
  • EMDR Training
    & Education
    • EMDR Education Calendar
    • EMDR Basic Training
      • 5 Steps to Take an EMDRIA™ Approved EMDR Basic Training
      • Eligibility Requirements for EMDR Basic Training
      • EMDR Basic Training FAQs
      • Training vs Certification
      • Find an EMDR Basic Training
    • Continuing Education
      • OnDemand Education
    • EMDRIA Conference
      • Call for Presentations
      • Call for Proposal Reviewers
      • Conference Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA Summit
      • Summit Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA™ Digital Badges
    • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Application
      • How to Market Yourself as an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ FAQs
      • Membership vs Certification
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Renewal
    • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Application
      • Updating EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Standards
      • CIT Declaration Form
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training™ FAQs
      • Consultation Packet
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Renewal
      • Consultant Day Events
    • EMDRIA Credit Provider & Program Applications
    • EMDRIA Approved Trainer™ Application
      • EMDR Basic Training Policies & Requirements
      • Standards for EMDR Basic Training
      • Trainer Day Events
  • Publications
    & Resources
    • EMDRIA Library
    • Glossary of EMDR Terms
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Online EMDR Therapy Resources
    • Focal Point Blog
      • Subscribe to Focal Point Blog
    • Go With That Magazine®
    • Journal of EMDR Practice & Research®
    • Let’s Talk EMDR Podcast
    • Toolkits & Practice Resources
      • 8 Phases Toolkit
      • Building Your EMDR Practice Toolkit
      • Client Brochures
      • Addictions Toolkit
      • Depression Toolkit
      • EMDRIA Children’s Toolkit
      • Chronic Pain Toolkit
      • Military Toolkit
      • EMDR Consultation Toolkit
    • Kits y Recursos Prácticos
      • Folletos de Terapia EMDR
      • Kit de las 8 Fases
      • Kit de la Depresión
      • Kit del Dolor Crónico
      • Kit de los Niños y Niñas
  • EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Join EMDRIA™
      • Retired Membership
      • Agency Group Membership
      • International Affiliate Organizations
    • Member Hub
    • Renew EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • EMDRIA™ Member Account Overview
    • Directory Profile Information
    • Membership vs Certification
  • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDR Topic Forums
      • Special Interest Groups
      • Topic Forums
  • About
    EMDRIA™
    • Join EMDRIA™
    • EMDRIA™ FAQs
    • Contact EMDRIA™
    • Contact Media Relations
    • Meet the Board of Directors
      • Call for Board of Directors Nominations
    • Board News and Updates
      • Annual Membership Meeting
    • EMDR International Association™ Policies
    • EMDRIA™ Awards & Winners
    • EMDRIA Foundation
FacebookTwitterLinkedin
  • Join EMDRIA™
  • Contact
  • Find an EMDR Therapist®
EMDR International Association
Log In
  • About EMDR Therapy
    • What is EMDR therapy?
      • Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model
      • EMDR Therapy & Addiction
      • EMDR Therapy & Anxiety
      • EMDR Therapy & Childhood Trauma
      • EMDR Therapy & Depression
      • EMDR Therapy & PTSD
    • Experiencing EMDR Therapy
    • EMDR Therapy in Treatment Guidelines
    • Recent Research on EMDR Therapy
    • Find an EMDR Therapist®
  • EMDR Training
    & Education
    • EMDR Education Calendar
    • EMDR Basic Training
      • 5 Steps to Take an EMDRIA™ Approved EMDR Basic Training
      • Eligibility Requirements for EMDR Basic Training
      • EMDR Basic Training FAQs
      • Training vs Certification
      • Find an EMDR Basic Training
    • Continuing Education
      • OnDemand Education
    • EMDRIA Conference
      • Call for Presentations
      • Call for Proposal Reviewers
      • Conference Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA Summit
      • Summit Speaker Resources
    • EMDRIA™ Digital Badges
    • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Application
      • How to Market Yourself as an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ FAQs
      • Membership vs Certification
      • EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ Renewal
    • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Application
      • Updating EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Standards
      • CIT Declaration Form
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training™ FAQs
      • Consultation Packet
      • EMDRIA Approved Consultant™ Renewal
      • Consultant Day Events
    • EMDRIA Credit Provider & Program Applications
    • EMDRIA Approved Trainer™ Application
      • EMDR Basic Training Policies & Requirements
      • Standards for EMDR Basic Training
      • Trainer Day Events
  • Publications
    & Resources
    • EMDRIA Library
    • Glossary of EMDR Terms
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Online EMDR Therapy Resources
    • Focal Point Blog
      • Subscribe to Focal Point Blog
    • Go With That Magazine®
    • Journal of EMDR Practice & Research®
    • Let’s Talk EMDR Podcast
    • Toolkits & Practice Resources
      • 8 Phases Toolkit
      • Building Your EMDR Practice Toolkit
      • Client Brochures
      • Addictions Toolkit
      • Depression Toolkit
      • EMDRIA Children’s Toolkit
      • Chronic Pain Toolkit
      • Military Toolkit
      • EMDR Consultation Toolkit
    • Kits y Recursos Prácticos
      • Folletos de Terapia EMDR
      • Kit de las 8 Fases
      • Kit de la Depresión
      • Kit del Dolor Crónico
      • Kit de los Niños y Niñas
  • EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Join EMDRIA™
      • Retired Membership
      • Agency Group Membership
      • International Affiliate Organizations
    • Member Hub
    • Renew EMDRIA™ Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • EMDRIA™ Member Account Overview
    • Directory Profile Information
    • Membership vs Certification
  • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDRIA Online Community
    • EMDR Topic Forums
      • Special Interest Groups
      • Topic Forums
  • About
    EMDRIA™
    • Join EMDRIA™
    • EMDRIA™ FAQs
    • Contact EMDRIA™
    • Contact Media Relations
    • Meet the Board of Directors
      • Call for Board of Directors Nominations
    • Board News and Updates
      • Annual Membership Meeting
    • EMDR International Association™ Policies
    • EMDRIA™ Awards & Winners
    • EMDRIA Foundation

Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: A systematic review and meta-analysis (American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Article-FeaturedImage

Home / Resources / Pregnancy/Perinatal / Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: A systematic review and meta-analysis (American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This review evaluates therapies with the goal of preventing or treating childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder, including EMDR therapy, prior to 2023.


Article Abstract

“Objective: Women can develop posttraumatic stress disorder in response to experienced or perceived traumatic, often medically complicated, childbirth; the prevalence of these events remains high in the United States. Currently, no recommended treatment exists in routine care to prevent or mitigate maternal childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials that evaluated any therapy to prevent or treat childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

Data Sources: PsycInfo, PsycArticles, PubMed (MEDLINE), ClinicalTrials.gov, CINAHL, ProQuest, Sociological Abstracts, Google Scholar, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched for eligible trials published through September 2023.

Study Eligibility Criteria: Trials were included if they were interventional, if they evaluated any therapy for childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder for the indication of symptoms or before posttraumatic stress disorder onset, and if they were written in English.

Methods: Independent coders extracted the sample characteristics and intervention information of the eligible studies and evaluated the trials using the Downs and Black’s quality checklist and Cochrane’s method for risk of bias evaluation. Meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate pooled effect sizes of secondary and tertiary prevention trials.

Results: A total of 41 studies (32 randomized controlled trials, 9 nonrandomized trials) were reviewed. They evaluated brief psychological therapies including debriefing, trauma-focused therapies (including cognitive behavioral therapy and expressive writing), memory consolidation and reconsolidation blockage, mother-infant–focused therapies, and educational interventions. The trials targeted secondary preventions aimed at buffering childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder usually after traumatic childbirth (n=24), tertiary preventions among women with probable childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (n=14), and primary prevention during pregnancy (n=3). A meta-analysis of the combined randomized secondary preventions showed moderate effects in reducing childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms when compared with usual treatment (standardized mean difference, −0.67; 95% confidence interval, −0.92 to −0.42). Single-session therapy within 96 hours of birth was helpful (standardized mean difference, −0.55). Brief, structured, trauma-focused therapies and semi-structured, midwife-led, dialogue-based psychological counseling showed the largest effects (standardized mean difference, −0.95 and −0.91, respectively). Other treatment approaches (eg, the Tetris game, mindfulness, mother-infant–focused treatment) warrant more research. Tertiary preventions produced smaller effects than secondary prevention but are potentially clinically meaningful (standardized mean difference, −0.37; −0.60 to −0.14). Antepartum educational approaches may help, but insufficient empirical evidence exists.

Conclusion: Brief trauma-focused and non–trauma-focused psychological therapies delivered early in the period following traumatic childbirth offer a critical and feasible opportunity to buffer the symptoms of childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Future research that integrates diagnostic and biological measures can inform treatment use and the mechanisms at work.”

—Description from publisher

Article Access

Open Access

Dekel, S., Papadakis, J E., Quagliarini, B., Pham, C. T., Pacheco-Barrios, K., Hughes, F., Jagodnik, K. M., & Nandru, R. (2023). Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 230(6), 610-641. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.12.013

View the Resource
Basic Info Collapse

Date
December 17, 2023

Creator(s)
Sharon Dekel, Joanna E. Papadakis, Beatrice Quagliarini

Contributor(s)
Christina T. Pham, Kevin Pacheco-Barrios, Francine Hughes, Kathleen M. Jagodnik, Rasvitha Nandru

Topics
Pregnancy/Perinatal, PTSD

More Info Collapse

Extent
46 pages

Publisher
Elsevier

Rights
© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CCBY-NC-ND license.

APA Citation
Dekel, S., Papadakis, J E., Quagliarini, B., Pham, C. T., Pacheco-Barrios, K., Hughes, F., Jagodnik, K. M., & Nandru, R. (2023). Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 230(6), 610-641. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.12.013

Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals

Language
English

Content Type
Article, Meta-analyses/Systematic Reviews, Peer-Reviewed

Access Type
External Resource, Open Access

Related Resources

EMDR Therapy and Military Resource List

Read More

Childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder: Definition, risk factors, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment (American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Read More

Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth (Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology)

Read More

Find an EMDR Therapist®

EMDRIA™ has more than 16,000 members trained to provide EMDR Therapy. Find a therapist near you.

Find an EMDR Therapist®
sun-flare-min
logo-emdria-grayscale-min

7000 N Mo Pac Expy
Ste 200
Austin, TX 78731-3013

Email info@emdria.org

Phone 512-451-5200

EMDRIA Facebook EMDRIA Twitter EMDRIA LinkedIn EMDRIA YouTube EMDRIA Online Community
  • About EMDR Therapy
  • EMDR Training and Education
  • EMDRIA™ Membership
  • Publications & Resources
  • EMDRIA Online Community
  • EMDRIA Foundation
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap
gold-circle-2022

© 1995-2025 EMDR International Association™. All rights reserved.

Website by Yoko Co

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • Please be aware that email is not a secure means of communication and spam filters may prevent your email from reaching the therapist. We recommend you follow up with a phone call. Sending an email using this page does not guarantee that the recipient will receive, read, or respond to your email.

    If this is an emergency do not use this form. Call 911 or your nearest hospital.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We use cookies to ensure the best website experience. See our privacy policy to learn more.OkPrivacy policy