Perceived Psychological Effects of Witnessing a Traumatic Clinical Childbirth Event among Midwives in Niger State

Abstract

Background: Midwives frequently encounter obstetric emergencies that may result in traumatic childbirth events, which may constitute a significant psychological burden on them. The study was to examine the perceived psychological effects of traumatic childbirth among midwives working in secondary health facilities in Niger State, Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 160 registered midwives in selected referral hospitals via a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire incorporating a culturally adapted Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS). Data were analysed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise respondents’ characteristics and perceived psychological effects, while Chi-square tests were applied to determine associations between selected variables at a 0.05 level of significance.

Results: Midwives reported considerable levels of Secondary Traumatic Stress, with an overall mean score of 3.40, indicating frequent occurrence of symptoms. Within the emotional domain, feeling very upset when reminded of the stressful experience recorded a high mean score (3.90). In the cognitive domain, strong negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the world emerged as a key finding with the highest mean scores (3.97). For the behavioural domain, avoidance of external reminders of the stressful experience was the most pronounced symptom with the highest mean score of 4.04). In contrast, risky or harmful behaviours were the least reported (2.94). Significant associations were found between psychological distress and years of experience (χ² = 14.72, p = 0.012), ward of posting (χ² = 11.35, p = 0.021), and monthly workload (χ² = 9.44, p = 0.024).

Conclusion: Traumatic childbirth has a substantial psychological impact on midwives in the selected secondary health care facilities of Niger State. Structured debriefing, traumainformed training, and institutional mental-health support are urgently recommended.