Dissertation Creation - The UK's original provider of custom dissertations and dissertation help...

Free Dissertations - Nursing Dissertations

It Is Suggested That The Prevalence And Persistence Of Postnatal Mental ...


It is suggested that the prevalence and persistence of postnatal mental health problems should be a major public health concern (Bick, 2003, p11), yet the content and timing of postnatal care has been relatively neglected and physical health continues to be the main focus of routine contact in the United Kingdom. A large survey of women's views of postnatal care undertaken on behalf of one consumer organisation in the United Kingdom, The National Childbirth Trust (NCT), found that only half believed they had received the emotional support they needed in hospital, and a quarter of the women reported they received no emotional support (Singh & Newburn, 2001, p22).
There are various types of psychological interventions used to treat PTSD and postnatal depression, for instance, cognitive-behavioural therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy (Small et al., 2000, p1043). Although there has been a lack of focus on emotional well-being in providing routine maternity care, additional service interventions often termed debriefing sessions have been introduced in maternity units across the United Kingdom (Steele & Beadle, 2003, p130, Ayers et al., 2006, p157). This dissertation will concentrate on the psychological intervention of debriefing and in particular on the question of the benefit of debriefing postnatally.
Historically, debriefing was first used by the military on the battlefields as it was thought to have a beneficial effect on those suffering from battle trauma, and more importantly, to facilitate the return to duty (Shalev, 1994, p201). The concept of debriefing developed into psychological debriefing in the eighties and was often used to help emergency, rescue and incidence response workers to cope after dealing with traumatic events (Raphael & Wilson, 2001, p112). Group debriefing for emergency service workers was devised by Mitchell (1983, p36) and this was known as critical incident stress debriefing (CISD). This form of debriefing is carried out by specifically trained colleagues who are supported by mental health professionals. CISD enables the group to reflect and discuss the experience and vent any intrusive emotions in order to understand that they are not alone and without help. However, it is proposed that the use of debriefing has now extended far beyond its original context. It appears that the intervention is now applied to almost any life experience and a variety of interventions are utilised in the name of debriefing (Raphael & Wilson, 2001, p113).
It is suggested that the term debriefing appears to cover anything from active listening, usually to the mother as she talks about her experience of labour and birth, through to a structured psychological intervention. Debriefing refers to a single structured diagnostic psychological interview, which usually comprises one session within the first month of a traumatic event.

Please note: The above dissertation snippet was written by a student and then submitted to us to display and help others. Thanks to all the students who have submitted their work to us.