Prevalence of Traumatic Childbirth Experiences among Midwives in Secondary Public Health Care Facilities of Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Midwives frequently encounter traumatic situations during childbirth, including emergencies, complications, and adverse outcomes. These experiences have significant implications for their psychological well-being, professional performance, and, in some cases, their decision to exit the profession. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of exposure to traumatic childbirth among midwives in Secondary care facilities of Niger State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was utilized, using the questionnaire as the tool for data collection among one hundred and seventy midwives whom were recruited via multistage sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics on SPSS version 27. Results revealed a high prevalence of exposure to traumatic childbirth (94.1%). The Chi-square analysis examining the relationship between socio-demographic variables (educational background, years of experience, and practice setting) and the prevalence of traumatic childbirth experiences revealed several significant associations (p = 0.001 each). Further inferential analysis showed a statistically significant association between number of exposures to traumatic childbirth by midwives and working hours at p-value 0.05 (χ² = 59.288, df = 4, p = 0.001). The likelihood ratio (70.846, p = 0.001) and the linear-by-linear association (43.008, p = 0.001). The study recommends structured support systems, regular psychological debriefing, trauma-informed care training, and policy interventions to safeguard midwives’ mental health and improve maternal and neonatal care outcomes.