Quality of life in midwives after post-traumatic stress disorders

INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic stress disorder frequently alters the quality of life. OBJECTIVES: Assess the quality of life in midwives who have post-traumatic stress disorder. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among midwives in a single university hospital centre using a self-administered questionnaire. We screened post-traumatic stress disorder using the Impact of event scale and the quality of life using 5 items Likert scale. RESULTS: Our response rate was 82%. Out of 42 midwives who answered us, 18 had post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (42.8%). They were all female. Their mean age was 45.6± 10.3 years. The traumatic event occurred mainly at work and was related to the death of a mother or a baby. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were severe in 5 midwives. The quality of life was altered in 38.8% of participants. Both post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and alteration of the quality of life were more frequent in patients who don’t have leisure activities. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, midwives are vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Encouraging sports and other leisure activities may protect them from having severe repercussions on their life. DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships.