Querschnittsstudie Viele Geburtshelfer leiden unter posttraumatischem Stress Geburten sind ein riskantes Unternehmen, nicht nur für Mutter und Kind, sondern auch für die betreuenden Ärzte und Hebammen. Nicht wenige brechen unter der Belastung zusammen, wie die Ergebnisse einer schwedischen Studie verdeutlichen.

Fourteen months after the 2004 tsunami, mental health outcome was assessed in 187 bereaved relatives, 308 bereaved friends, and in 3,020 nonbereaved Swedish survivors. Of the bereaved relatives, 41% reported posttraumatic stress reactions and 62% reported impaired general mental health. Having been caught or chased by the tsunami in combination with bereavement was associated with increased posttraumatic stress reactions. Complicated grief reactions among relatives were almost as frequent as posttraumatic stress reactions. The highest levels of psychological distress were found among those who had lost children. Traumatic bereavement, in combination with exposure to life danger, is probably a risk factor for mental health sequelae after a natural disaster.

Numerous studies on the mental health consequences of traumatic exposure to a disaster compare those exposed to those not exposed. Relatively few focus on the effect of the death of a close relative caused by the disaster-suffering a traumatic bereavement. This study compared the impact on 345 participants who lost a close relative in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but who were themselves not present, to 141 who not only lost a relative, but also were themselves exposed to the tsunami. The focus was on psychological distress assessed during the second year after the sudden bereavement. Findings were that exposure to the tsunami was associated with prolonged grief (B = 3.81) and posttraumatic stress reactions (B = 6.65), and doubled the risk for impaired mental health. Loss of children increased the risk for psychological distress (prolonged grief: B = 6.92; The Impact of Event Scale-Revised: B = 6.10; General Health Questionnaire-12: OR = 2.34). Women had a higher frequency of prolonged grief. For men, loss of children presented a higher risk for prolonged grief in relation to other types of bereavement (B = 6.36 vs. loss of partner). Further long-term follow-up could deepen the understanding of how recovery after traumatic loss is facilitated.

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