Towards a conceptual framework for understanding post-traumatic stress symptoms following childbirth and implications

Pauline Slade1

  • 1Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK. p.slade@sheffield.ac.uk

This paper provides a synthesis of current knowledge about post-traumatic stress symptoms following childbirth. In particular it presents a two dimensional conceptual framework for understanding the development of symptoms based upon predisposing (pre-pregnancy/pregnancy), precipitating (perinatal) and maintaining (postnatal) factors, which relate to internal (within individual), external (environmental) and interactional factors. In addition key methodological issues and areas for further research are identified.

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