How Supportive Care Shapes Women's Childbirth Satisfaction: A Systematic Review

Background: Despite strong clinical safety standards, many women continue to report negative or unsatisfactory childbirth experiences. Supportive care has gained attention as an important component of quality maternity services, yet evidence on its relationship with women's satisfaction remains limited. Objective: This systematic review examined recent research on supportive care during childbirth and its association with women's satisfaction and childbirth experiences. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus was conducted for peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies examining supportive care during childbirth and maternal satisfaction were included. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were synthesised narratively and supported by bibliometric co-occurrence mapping using VOSviewer to identify dominant thematic clusters. Included studies comprised randomised controlled trials, cross-sectional studies, quasi-experimental studies, qualitative interviews, and mixed-methods designs. Results: Supportive care was consistently associated with higher maternal satisfaction and more positive childbirth experiences. Common forms of support included emotional support, respectful communication, companionship, informational support, and autonomy-supportive care. Psychosocial factors such as emotional safety, perceived control, and mental wellbeing were reported as being associated with women's experiences. Conclusions: Supportive care is an important component in the literature on women's childbirth satisfaction. Emotional and relational aspects of care were frequently highlighted across studies. Integrating supportive practices into routine maternity care may contribute to more woman-centred approaches while maintaining clinical safety.