Midwives' Traumatic Childbirth Perception, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Post- traumatic Stress: A Comparative Study with Student Midwives

Background To compare the perception of traumatic childbirth, secondary traumatic stress, and post-traumatic stress in midwives and student midwives. Methods The research is a methodological and cross-sectional study. After obtaining ethics committee permission, 261 midwives and 251 student midwives were formed between October 01, 2020, and October 01, 2022. Data were collected using participant information form, traumatic childbirth perception scale, post-traumatic stress scale-short version, and secondary traumatic stress scale. Results It was found that 70.1% of midwives and 31.5% of students were exposed to violence during their professional life, and 61.7% of midwives were exposed to violence, mostly from pregnant women and their relatives. 88.9% of midwives and 64.5% of student midwives experienced a traumatizing event. 33.3% of midwives and 56.6% of student midwives stated that they were afraid of giving birth, and 57.5% of midwives and 62.9% of student midwives stated that labor pain was very severe. It was found that student midwives were more affected by post-traumatic stress, secondary traumatic stress, and traumatic birth perception than midwives. While there was a statistical difference in the mean scores of traumatic perception of birth and post-traumatic stress scale scores in midwives and student midwives, there was no difference between secondary traumatic stress scale scores. Conclusion In conclusion, student midwives show a traumatic perception of birth and post-traumatic stress symptoms more than midwives. However, the secondary trauma effect was similar in midwives and student midwives.