Clinical trial NCT06886841: Parental Well-being After Childbirth in Switzerland
Official title: Stress Of Co-parents Related to A Traumatic Experience of Birth Across Switzerland
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Mental Health
Physical Health
Postpartum
Parents
Quality of Life
Quality of Care
Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic
Keywords: childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder
mental health
postpartum
parental wellbeing
physical health
sexual health
social support
quality of life
quality of care
postpartum depression
mothers
coparents
Lead sponsor: School of Health Sciences Geneva
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-03-20
Enrollment: 4200
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 14
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: All adult women who give birth to one or more live-born or stillborn children at ≥22 weeks and/or with a birthweight of ≥500 grams in a participating unit during the study period will be eligible, along with their cohabiting partners.

Brief summary: Improving maternal and child health is a global priority, with increasing emphasis on ensuring women and their families not only survive but also thrive after childbirth. While high-income countries like Switzerland provide strong antenatal and intrapartum care, the quality of postnatal care often lags behind, despite the critical physical, mental, and social needs of the postpartum period. Studies indicate high rates of mental distress, physical pain, and sexual discomfort among mothers, alongside a lack of research on the well-being of co-parents.

The main question this cohort study aims to answer is: how do the health and well-being of mothers and co-parents evolve during the first year after childbirth? Participants will complete four online questionnaires: the first within the first few days after birth, followed by additional assessments at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum.

This comprehensive approach seeks to inform policy and improve evidence-based postnatal care practices, benefiting approximately 80,000 families annually in Switzerland.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria:

* Women who give birth in a participating maternity unit or birth center during the study period.
* Partner of a participating women: the partner must be designated by the mother, live with her at the time of birth, and only one partner can be included per mother.
* Gestational age at birth: ≥22+0 weeks and/or birthweight ≥500 grams
* Age: Participants must be 14 years or older.
* Language Proficiency: Participants must have sufficient proficiency in one of Switzerland's main official languages (German, French, Italian) or English to ensure accurate communication and comprehension of study materials.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Refusal to participate
* Inability to provide informed consent

Primary outcomes:
measure: Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder
timeFrame: 2 months postpartum
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Postpartum depression and anxiety
timeFrame: At birth, and at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum
measure: Health-related quality of life
timeFrame: At birth, and at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum
measure: Physical recovery
timeFrame: At birth (Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10), and at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum (pain and incontinence)
measure: Sexual health
timeFrame: 6 and 12 months postpartum
measure: Hospitalisations
timeFrame: From one year before to one year after childbirth
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Geneva
country: Switzerland
facility: Haute Ecole de Santé Genève
city: Winterthur
country: Switzerland
facility: ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Study officials:
affiliation: Geneva School of Health Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.
name: Laurent Gaucher, RM, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: