Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after experiencing an event where one feels that their own life, or the life of a loved one is in danger. Researchers have found that PTSD is a relatively common problem during and after pregnancy, but one that can be hard to diagnose. For example, women may already have PTSD when they become pregnant, they may develop PTSD during pregnancy, or they may develop PTSD after pregnancy due to a traumatic birth experience. Regardless of when a traumatic event took place, PTSD during and after pregnancy can cause both mother and child to develop harmful mental and physical health problems. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers, who have increased contact with women during this time, to regularly check for trauma symptoms and help reduce these risks. The aims of this study are to understand PTSD during this period from the perspective of nurses, midwives, and doctors through focus group meetings. I hope to learn 1) what providers already know about trauma and PTSD 2) how they check for trauma exposure throughout and after pregnancy and 3) what steps they take to help reduce the mental and physical harm that can develop after trauma. This will be the first study to explore how healthcare providers understand, check for, and help relieve PTSD and related symptoms during and after pregnancy. This will give healthcare providers information on how to better care for their patients who are pregnant, or have recently given birth and who have experienced trauma.