The Effect of Expressive Writing about Thoughts and Feelings of Childbirth Experiences on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 MSc Student in Midwifery Education, Student Research Committee, Department of Midwifery, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Midwifery, School of Medicine AND Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

Abstract

Background: Given the importance of postpartum mental health, this systematic review study was conducted with the aim to investigate the effects of writing thoughts and feelings on postpartum mental health.Methods: In this systematic review study, Persian and English databases were searched. The keywords were based on Medical subject heading (MeSH) and included "Postpartum Depression", "writing", "Postpartum period" and "Posttraumatic stress disorder", and "Postpartum health", that a combination of keywords searches was performed using Bolin’s such as AND, OR, and NOT without time limit until September 2020. The articles were qualitatively assessed for inclusion in the study using the latest edition of the CONSORT-2017 checklist.Findings: A total of 275 articles were found as a result of the initial search in databases, of which, 110 were excluded for being repetitive articles, and 142 for the lack of inclusion and exclusion criteria, and after review of full texts of 23 articles, six were included in the study. Findings research showed expressive writing interventions effective in reduction of depression, stress, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.Conclusion: Expressive writing is a good choice for women that reduces the symptoms of posttraumatic stress, and its effectiveness for depression has been significant. Therefore, it is suggested that in the future, more clinical trial studies should examine the effectiveness of longer, more frequent, and more targeted written interventions.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 38, Issue 604 - Serial Number 604
November and December 2021
Pages 948-957

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 August 2020
  • Revise Date: 01 November 2024
  • Accept Date: 06 April 2022

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