Mothers' Psychological Trauma Experiences Associated With Preterm Pregnancy, Birth, and Care: A Qualitative Study

Preterm birth trauma has become a growing concern in achieving the sustainable development goal targets for mental, maternal, and child health. Although obstetric and developmental complications associated with preterm birth have received a great deal of research attention over the years, subjective trauma experiences of mothers are often understudied. This qualitative study aims to fill this gap by adopting a phenomenological design to explore the traumatic experiences of mothers from pregnancy to care after childbirth of preterm babies in a low-resource economy.

This was an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of 22 mothers.

The results revealed three superordinate and six subordinate themes: pregnancy-related (Primary pregnancy-related complications and secondary pregnancy-related factors), healthcare-related (Trauma from invasive procedures performed on babies and trauma from the poor physical health status of the babies at NICU), and parenting-related trauma (Initial shock and denial and feelings of inadequateness and helplessness in caring for their babies).

The study shows the complex nature of the birth trauma experienced by mothers of preterm babies. The study recommends client-centered, culturally sensitive, and trauma-focused mental health support within the maternal health system.