Effect of The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels on the Delivery Style of Midwives

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 3, 301 - 310, 05.01.2026

Endam Çetinkaya Ak , Sabriye Uçan Yamaç

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to investigate the relationship between midwives’ exposure to childhood trauma and their depression, anxiety and stress levels and the effect of these psychological variables on midwives’ birth method choices.
Material and Methods: The data of this cross-sectional descriptive study were collected via an online survey from 342 midwives working in inpatient healthcare institutions across Türkiye who volunteered to participate. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale were used as data collection tools.
Results: The findings show that there are positive and significant relationships between childhood trauma and depression (r=0.416), anxiety (r=0.413) and stress (r=0.384) levels (p<0.01). In addition, it was observed that emotional abuse (7.55±3.93; p=0.009), physical abuse (6.52±3.31; p=0.002), denial (10.98±2.98; p=0.005), depression (5.93±5.13; p<0.001) and stress (6.92±4.88; p<0.001) scores were significantly higher in individuals with no children. In individuals with psychiatric diagnosis, the total CTQ score (74.24±18.69; p<0.001) and all subscales except physical neglect and all DASS-21 scores were found to be significantly higher; Especially the increase in the levels of sexual abuse (11.38±8.36; p=0.001), overprotection (14.52±3.40; p<0.001), depression (8.71±6.68; p=0.028) and anxiety (8.38±5.84; p=0.002) is remarkable. It was determined that individuals whose first child was born by cesarean section had higher CTQ total score (58.61±10.66; p=0.003), sexual abuse (6.47±3.13; p<0.001), physical neglect (8.45±3.37; p<0.001) and emotional neglect (10.08±4.24; p=0.038) compared to those who gave birth vaginally.
Conclusion: This study revealed that midwives’ exposure to childhood trauma is significantly associated with their levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in adulthood, and that these psychological states may affect midwives’ preferences for delivery methods. The research findings show that physical and emotional abuse and neglect experienced in childhood pave the way for psychological problems in adulthood, and that these problems increase the tendency towards more controlled delivery methods such as cesarean section.

Keywords

anxiety , birth , childhood trauma , depression

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