Experience of language and communication during childbirth (v1.0)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Words Matter: Reflexive Thematic Analysis on the Birthing Persons Subjective Experience of Language and Communication During Childbirth.
IRAS ID
344946
Contact name
Tara Buckler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
The study is looking at the birthing person/woman's experience of language and communication during childbirth for those women who go on to develop PTSD symptoms "a traumatic childbirth experience refers to a woman's experience of interactions and/or events directly related to childbirth that caused overwhelming distressing emotions and reactions; leading to short and/or long-term negative impacts on a woman's health and wellbeing" (Leinweber et al,. 2022. p. 691). This definition highlights the impact of interactions with others as part of the woman's traumatic birth experience. The discussion around language and communication within maternity settings has gained significant attention both within academic circles and through social media. The study aims to increase understanding about what and how language impacts the traumatic birth experience, in the hope to educate healthcare professionals and improve the experience of the woman/birthing person during childbirth.
This is a qualitative research study involving 90 minute individual interviews online via Microsoft Teams with birthing people/women who have experienced a traumatic birth. The study hopes to recruit 10-12 women/birthing people from across England. The data will be analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) (Braun & Clark, 2022) to identify themes to understand the experience of birthing people/women who have experienced a birth trauma and how language used by healthcare professionals during and just after their birth impacted them. It is hoped that the results from this study can influence clinical practice and result in better birth experiences for birthing people.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0331
Date of REC Opinion
16 Oct 2024
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion