Evaluating a midwife-led consultation for women after a traumatic birth experience: preliminary results
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Approximately 9 to 50 % of women report a traumatic birth experience and 12 % develop childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (CB-PTSS). A recent study using a postpartum midwifery-led counselling session showed promising results in reducing CB-PTSS, but more evidence is needed. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of a midwifery-led counselling session 6 weeks post-partum or later, on depression and CB-PTSS. STUDY DESIGN: The pre-post-intervention study, including 159 women, took place in a Swiss 18 university hospital. It was designed as a healthcare service quality project and therefore was therefore not registered a priori in a clinical trial registry. Ethical approval from the institutional board was obtained (n° 2020-06). A midwifery-led counselling session, six weeks or more after birth, allowed women to discuss their childbirth experience and to receive additional information about childbirth. Women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) two weeks before and three months after the consultation. RESULTS: Results showed a significant decrease in depression and CB-PTSS, and in cases with probable childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis (CB-PTSD): 24.7 % (36/146) before counselling versus 6.3 % (5/80) three months after (p < 0.01). The session was rated as extremely/very satisfactory by 91 % of women and extremely/very useful by >87 % of women. No associations were found between depression and CB-PTSD scores and obstetrical or neonatal data. CONCLUSION: A midwifery-led single-session offered to women 6 weeks or more after birth seemed to be associated with a decrease of depression and CB-PTSS. However, the attrition rate (49 %) made definitive conclusions difficult. More research is needed with a larger sample, a randomized design, and a wait-list control group to consider the effect of time on depression or CB-PTSS.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Across mental health interventions, several RCTs and pre-post studies reported higher recovery at selected time points.
“The included studies reported improvements in depressive symptom scores, clinical recovery at selected time points, anxiety, worry, and childbirth-related trauma symptoms (Avignon et al., 2025; Dennis et al., 2020; Husain et al., 2024; ¨ Ozhüner and ¨ Ozerdo ˘ gan, 2025; Van Lieshout et al., 2022; Xiao et al., 2025).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Avignon et al., 2025
The Results (p. 1) report fewer cases of probable childbirth-related PTSD three months after counselling, alongside lower depression and trauma-symptom scores. This supports improvement at a selected time point, but the study is pre-post rather than an RCT and does not report a clinical recovery rate; its Conclusion (p. 1) also cautions that attrition limits definitive conclusions. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSeveral non-randomized or pilot studies included in the review relied heavily on self-reported outcomes.
“Several non-randomized or pilot studies had small sample sizes, lacked a concurrent comparison group, or relied heavily on self-reported outcomes (Aldridge et al., 2022; Avignon et al., 2025; Russell, 2025; Szajna et al., 2024).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Avignon et al., 2025
Across mental health interventions, several RCTs and pre-post studies reported reductions in anxiety, worry, or trauma symptoms.
“The included studies reported improvements in depressive symptom scores, clinical recovery at selected time points, anxiety, worry, and childbirth-related trauma symptoms (Avignon et al., 2025; Dennis et al., 2020; Husain et al., 2024; ¨ Ozhüner and ¨ Ozerdo ˘ gan, 2025; Van Lieshout et al., 2022; Xiao et al., 2025).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Avignon et al., 2025
Across mental health interventions, several RCTs and pre-post studies reported lower depressive symptom scores.
“The included studies reported improvements in depressive symptom scores, clinical recovery at selected time points, anxiety, worry, and childbirth-related trauma symptoms (Avignon et al., 2025; Dennis et al., 2020; Husain et al., 2024; ¨ Ozhüner and ¨ Ozerdo ˘ gan, 2025; Van Lieshout et al., 2022; Xiao et al., 2025).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Avignon et al., 2025
Several non-randomized or pilot studies included in the review had small sample sizes.
“Several non-randomized or pilot studies had small sample sizes, lacked a concurrent comparison group, or relied heavily on self-reported outcomes (Aldridge et al., 2022; Avignon et al., 2025; Russell, 2025; Szajna et al., 2024).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Avignon et al., 2025
Several non-randomized or pilot studies included in the review lacked a concurrent comparison group.
“Several non-randomized or pilot studies had small sample sizes, lacked a concurrent comparison group, or relied heavily on self-reported outcomes (Aldridge et al., 2022; Avignon et al., 2025; Russell, 2025; Szajna et al., 2024).”
From Extending the continuum: Mapping post-6-week nurse/midwife-led interventions for postnatal women – A scoping review (2026) · cites this paper as Avignon et al., 2025
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Detection of Postnatal Depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.150.6.782 · Cited by 14,183 · see citing works
The American Psychological Association
Langfeld, H. S. (1919) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.49.1254.51 · Cited by 7,453 · see citing works
A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder
Ehlers, A., & Clark, D. M. (2000) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(99)00123-0 · Cited by 6,147 · see citing works
Mapping global prevalence of depression among postpartum women
Wang, Z., Liu, J., Shuai, H., Cai, Z., Fu, X., Liu, Y., Xiao, X., Zhang, W., Krabbendam, E., Liu, S., et al. (2021) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01663-6 · Cited by 835 · see citing works
Gustavson, K., von Soest, T., Karevold, E., & Røysamb, E. (2012) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-918 · Cited by 679 · see citing works
Ashbaugh, A. R., Houle-Johnson, S., Herbert, C., El-Hage, W., & Brunet, A. (2016) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161645 · Cited by 625 · see citing works
How much loss to follow-up is acceptable in long-term randomised trials and prospective studies?
Fewtrell, M. S., Kennedy, K., Singhal, A., Martin, R. M., Ness, A., Hadders-Algra, M., Koletzko, B., & Lucas, A. (2008) · Archives of Disease in Childhood · doi:10.1136/adc.2007.127316 · Cited by 601 · see citing works
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Liu, X., Wang, S., & Wang, G. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.16121 · Cited by 520 · see citing works
Guedeney, N., & Fermanian, J. (1998) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0924-9338(98)80023-0 · Cited by 342 · see citing works
Horsch, A., Garthus‐Niegel, S., Ayers, S., Chandra, P. S., Hartmann, K., Vaisbuch, E., & Lalor, J. (2024) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2023.09.089 · Cited by 260 · see citing works
Self-citationHeyne, C.-S., Kaźmierczak, M., Souday, R., Horesh, D., den Berg, M. P. L., Weigl, T., Horsch, A., Oosterman, M., Dikmen‐Yildiz, P., & Garthus‐Niegel, S. (2022) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102157 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Self-citationGamble, J. A., Creedy, D. K., Moyle, W., Webster, J., McAllister, M., & Dickson, P. (2005) · Birth · doi:10.1111/j.0730-7659.2005.00340.x · Cited by 234 · see citing works
A review of the impact of pregnancy on memory function
Henry, J. D., & Rendell, P. G. (2007) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/13803390701612209 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
de Graaff, L. F., Honig, A., van Pampus, M. G., & Stramrood, C. A. I. (2018) · Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/aogs.13291 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Trajectories of Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms
Putnick, D. L., Sundaram, R., Bell, E. M., Ghassabian, A., Goldstein, R. B., Robinson, S. L., Vafai, Y., Gilman, S. E., & Yeung, E. H. (2020) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2020-0857 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Chen, Q., Li, W., Xiong, J., & Zheng, X. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19042219 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Dikmen-Yildiz, P., Ayers, S., & Phillips, L. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.074 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Debriefing interventions for the prevention of psychological trauma in women following childbirth
Bastos, M. H., Furuta, M., Small, R. E., McKenzie‐McHarg, K., & Bick, D. (2015) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd007194.pub2 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Liu, Y., Zhang, L., Guo, N., & Jiang, H. (2021) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03432-7 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Beyond postpartum depression: posttraumatic stress-depressive response following childbirth
Dekel, S., Ein‐Dor, T., Dishy, G. A., & Mayopoulos, P. A. (2019) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-019-01006-x · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Cognitive Reorganization during Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: An Evolutionary Perspective
Anderson, M. V., & Rutherford, M. D. (2012) · Evolutionary Psychology · doi:10.1177/147470491201000402 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Leinweber, J., Kuipers, Y., Karlsdóttir, S. I., Ekström, A., Nilsson, C., Stramrood, C. A. I., & Thomson, G. (2022) · Birth · doi:10.1111/birt.12666 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
The influence of postpartum PTSD on breastfeeding: A longitudinal population‐based study
Garthus‐Niegel, S., Horsch, A., Ayers, S., Junge‐Hoffmeister, J., Weidner, K., & Eberhard‐Gran, M. (2017) · Birth · doi:10.1111/birt.12328 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Self-citationA counselling model for postpartum women after distressing birth experiences
Gamble, J. A., & Creedy, D. K. (2007) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2007.04.004 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Gamble, J. A., Creedy, D. K., Webster, J., & Moyle, W. (2002) · Midwifery · doi:10.1054/midw.2001.0287 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Progress of PTSD symptoms following birth: a prospective study in mothers of high-risk infants
Kim, W. J., Lee, E. M., Kim, K. R., Namkoong, K., Park, E. S., & Rha, D. (2015) · Journal of Perinatology · doi:10.1038/jp.2015.9 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Maimburg, R. D., Væth, M., & Dahlen, H. (2016) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2016.02.003 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Rowan, C., Bick, D., & Bastos, M. H. D. S. (2007) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1741-6787.2007.00088.x · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Asadzadeh, L., Jafari, E., Kharaghani, R., & Taremian, F. (2020) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-020-2826-1 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Ryding, E. L., Wirén, E., Johansson, G., Ceder, B., & Dahlström, A. (2004) · Birth · doi:10.1111/j.0730-7659.2004.00316.x · Cited by 60 · see citing works
The prospective relationship between postpartum PTSD and child sleep: A 2-year follow-up study
Garthus‐Niegel, S., Horsch, A., Graz, M. B., Martini, J., von Soest, T., Weidner, K., & Eberhard‐Gran, M. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.07.067 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Self-citationTesting a cognitive model to predict posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth
King, L., McKenzie-McHarg, K., & Horsch, A. (2017) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-016-1194-3 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Self-citationCarter, J., Bick, D., Gallacher, D., & Chang, Y. (2022) · Birth · doi:10.1111/birt.12649 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Meta-analysis of association between caesarean section and postpartum depression risk
Ning, J., Deng, J., Li, S., Lu, C., & Zeng, P. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1361604 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
A diagnostic questionnaire for childbirth related posttraumatic stress disorder: a validation study
Arora, I. H., Woscoboinik, G. G., Mokhtar, S., Quagliarini, B., Bartal, A., Jagodnik, K. M., Barry, R. L., Edlow, A. G., Orr, S. P., & Dekel, S. (2024) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2023.11.1229 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Thomson, G., Diop, M. Q., Stuijfzand, S., Horsch, A., Lalor, J., Abreu, W., Avignon, V., Baranowska, B. M., Dikmen‐Yildiz, P., El‐Hage, W., et al. (2021) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-021-07238-x · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Self-citationThe problem with overreliance on the PCL–5 as a measure of PTSD diagnostic status.
Bovin, M. J., & Marx, B. P. (2023) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1037/cps0000119 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Raeder, R., Clayton, N. S., & Boeckle, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1215225 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Deforges, C., Sandoz, V., Noël, Y., Avignon, V., Desseauve, D., Bourdin, J., Vial, Y., Ayers, S., Holmes, E. A., Epiney, M., et al. (2023) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02275-w · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citationGinter, N., Takács, L., Boon, M. J. M., Verhoeven, C. J. M., Dahlen, H. G., & Peters, L. L. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19148830 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Seefeld, L., Handelzalts, J., Horesh, D., Horsch, A., Ayers, S., Dikmen-Yildiz, P., Akik, B. K., & Garthus-Niegel, S. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.12.044 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationDevita, S., Deforges, C., Graz, M. B., Tolsa, J., Sandoz, V., & Horsch, A. (2023) · Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology · doi:10.1080/02646838.2023.2261057 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Self-citationSchneider, J., Borghini, A., Harari, M. M., Faure, N., Tenthorey, C., Berre, A. L., Tolsa, J., & Horsch, A. (2019) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026484 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citationLee, L., & Hung, C. (2022) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/wvn.12559 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Jenkins, H., Daskalopoulou, Z., Opondo, C., Alderdice, F. A., & Fellmeth, G. L. (2024) · BMJ Public Health · doi:10.1136/bmjph-2023-000215 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Osório, F. D. L., & Borges, M. M. (2024) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-024-01423-7 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Fenwick, J., Gamble, J. A., Creedy, D. K., & Barclay, L. M. (2011) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2011.07.051 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Devita, S., Bozicevic, L., Deforges, C., Ciavarella, L., Tolsa, J., Sandoz, V., & Horsch, A. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.025 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citationCatalá, P., Suso-Ribera, C., Marín, D., & Peñacoba, C. (2020) · Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics · doi:10.1007/s00404-020-05857-z · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Stress responses of infants and mothers to a still-face paradigm after traumatic childbirth
Messerli‐Bürgy, N., Sandoz, V., Deforge, C., Lacroix, A., Sekarski, N., & Horsch, A. (2024) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107222 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationPostpartum psycho-educational interviews to promote adaptation in new mothers: A preliminary study
Razurel, C., Avignon, V., Gerdy, P., & Bouton, J. (2016) · Journal of Nursing Education and Practice · doi:10.5430/jnep.v7n2p1 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationDevita, S., Bozicevic, L., Deforges, C., Ciavarella, L., Tolsa, J.-F., Sandoz, V., & Horsch, A. (2024) · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4744625
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Bastos, M.H., Furuta, M., Small, R., McKenzie-McHarg, K., Bick, D., 2015b. Debriefing interventions for the prevention of psychological trauma in women following childbirth. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. (4), CD007194 http://refhub.elsevier.com/S0266-6138(2500077-4/sbref0042)
- Gamble, J., Creedy, D., Moyle, W., Webster, J., McAllister, M., Dickson, P., 2005b. Effectiveness of a counseling intervention after a traumatic childbirth: a randomized controlled trial. Birth 32 (1), 11 -19. http://refhub.elsevier.com/S0266-6138(2500077-4/sbref0024)
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Xu, Y., Han, Y., Li, W., Xue, H., Liu, Y., Men, Y., Chen, Y., Zhou, X., & Li, Q. (2025) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2025.102138 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Ibitoye, O. F., Hanson, V., Alshdefa, A., & Pitre, S. (2026) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2026.104967
Joining the Dots: What Does This All Mean for the Future of Maternity Care?
Power, C. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-05845-4_9
Chiu, H.-Y., Chen, H.-H., Wang, C.-W., Lai, J. C., Huang, W.-N., Chen, L.-H., & Chu, K.-H. (2026) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2026.105003
- Authors
- Avignon, V., Annen, V., Baud, D., Bourdin, J., & Horsch, A.
- Affiliations
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Avignon, Valérie
- Venue
- Midwifery
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2025-05
- Volume
- 144
- Pages
- 104358
- ISSN
- 0266-6138 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4408016671
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 4.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Midwifery (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- SERVAL (Université de Lausanne) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- IRIS (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (32003B_172982)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Keywords
- birth trauma, postpartum depression, postpartum care, postpartum mental health, childbirth experience, patient satisfaction
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Counseling, Female, Humans, Midwifery, Pregnancy, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Referral and Consultation, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Switzerland, Parturition
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
