The Lived Experience of Women with "Birth Trauma" and Coping Strategies

This study aimed to deeply describe the lived experience of birth trauma and to explore the coping strategies among women residing in Qaemshahr city, Iran. Method: This was a qualitative study employing an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Eighteen women aged ۲۲ to ۴۲ who had experienced at least one traumatic childbirth in Qaemshahr hospitals within the past five years were selected using purposeful and snowball sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews (۶۰ to ۱۴۵ minutes) and analyzed using Smith’s six-step method. Trustworthiness was ensured through analyst triangulation, member checking, a comprehensive audit trail, and continuous researcher reflexivity. Four superordinate themes were extracted: (۱) Loss of Body and Self in the Moment of Birth, (۲) Feeling of Impending Death of Self or Infant, (۳) Systemic Humiliation, Blame, and Verbal Violence, and (۴) Dual Coping Strategies: Survival versus Destruction (encompassing four patterns: silence and avoidance, seeking support and meaning-making, continuous anger and vengeance, and social advocacy). Birth trauma in Qaemshahr is a structural and systematic phenomenon rooted in a medicalized and patriarchal culture of care. The findings underscore the urgent necessity for changing birthing policies, educating healthcare staff on respectful care, and establishing specific screening and support systems for affected women.

کلیدواژه ها:

Birth Trauma ، Lived Experience ، Obstetric Violence ، Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis ، Coping Strategies