The Birth Experience and its Psychological Consequences: New Perspectives on Perceived Support, Control, and Maternal Health

The birth experience is a transformative milestone that leaves a lasting imprint on a woman’s life. Far from being a mere clinical event, the subjective perception of childbirth is closely associated with both maternal physical and emotional health. Emerging evidence suggests that a positive birth experience strengthens maternal self-esteem, fosters a sense of accomplishment, and facilitates the transition into the maternal role. From a physiological standpoint, positive perceptions have even been associated with reduced pain levels and shorter labour durations.However, the global reality presents a challenging scenario: a substantial minority of women reports a negative birth experience, although estimates vary widely depending on definitions, settings, and measurement tools. These experiences are not transitory; they carry profound short- and long-term psychological consequences. Negative childbirth perceptions are consistently associated with postpartum depression (PPD), anxiety, and Childbirth-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CB-PTSD), with prevalence estimates that vary by diagnostic approach, sampling, and whether studies assess full PTSD versus clinically significant post-traumatic stress symptoms. Furthermore, perinatal suicidal ideation—has been reported across diverse context, with substantial variation by region, risk profile, and instrument, highlights an urgent need to address the origins of maternal distress.The impact of a traumatic or unsupportive birth extends beyond the mother, affecting the couple’s dynamics and with potential implications for early bonding and infant development. Adverse outcomes such as fear of childbirth (tokophobia), increased rates of emergency caesarean sections, and impaired mother-child bonding are frequently linked to the lack of perceived support and maternal control during labour.Following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for a "Positive Childbirth Experience," this Research Topic seeks to explore the multifaceted factors that shape maternal perceptions. We aim to highlight the transition from traditional interventionist models toward Respectful Maternity Care. In addition to individual-level factors, we explicitly welcome work that examines structural and service determinants, including communication quality, consent and autonomy, continuity of care, staffing and workload pressure, and the birth environment. A central focus will be the development and implementation of validated tools—such as the Support and Control in Birth (SCIB) scale—to capture women’s perspectives in a psychometrically robust way and support meaningful quality improvement in maternity care. We welcome original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• The role of perceived support and internal/external control as protective factor and modifiable against perinatal psychopathology• Mechanisms linking negative birth experiences to postpartum depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation including mediating and moderating pathways• The impact of obstetric interventions and communication practices, consent processes, birth environment on maternal psychological outcomes• Long-term consequences of birth trauma on the mother-child bond and family dynamics• Innovative tools and scales for assessing the quality of respectful maternity care, including validation, cross-cultural adaptation, and implementation studies• Strategies for the prevention of CB-PTSD and the promotion of a positive maternal identity, including trauma-informed and respectful maternity care interventionsBy integrating clinical evidence with the subjective experience of women, this Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive framework for improving perinatal mental health and ensuring that the "milestone of a lifetime" is a source of strength, not trauma. Topic editors: Sergio Martínez Vázquez, Rafael A. Caparros-Gonzalez, Alena Lochmannová Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78971/the-birth-experience-and-its-psychological-consequences-new-perspectives-on-perceived-support-control-and-maternal-health