Midwives' practices and knowledge about fear of childbirth and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder.

Background: Women suffering from fear of childbirth and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder are often not recognised by health care professionals.

Aim: To evaluate practices, knowledge and the attitudes of midwives towards women with fear of childbirth and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed amongst midwives who work in community practices and hospitals in the Netherlands with the use of a questionnaire purposefully designed for this research aim.

Findings: 257 midwives participated in the study, of whom 217 completed all items in the questionnaire. Midwives were better equipped to answer knowledge questions concerning fear of childbirth than posttraumatic stress disorder (regarding symptomatology, risk factors, consequences and treatment). When tending to women with fear of childbirth or (suspected) postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder, most midwives referred to another caregiver (e.g. psychologist). Most midwives expressed a positive and compassionate attitude towards women with fear of childbirth and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder.

Discussion: The majority of midwives are well informed with respect to fear of childbirth, but knowledge of important aspects of postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder is often lacking. Midwives report no crucial issues related to their attitudes towards women with fear of childbirth and posttraumatic stress disorder. Most midwives provide adequate organisation of care and support.

Conclusion: Midwives should acquire more in depth knowledge of fear of childbirth and postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder. This can be achieved by including the two conditions in the program of midwifery education.