Comparison of spiritual well-being and posttraumatic stress levels in women who have undergone cesarean and vaginal delivery

This study aimed to compare postpartum spiritual well-being and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms according to mode of delivery. The sample consisted of puerperal women who had given birth by cesarean section (n = 55) or vaginal delivery (n = 55). Data were collected using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Among women who had vaginal deliveries, a positive correlation was found between the avoidance subdimension of the PTSD Scale and the hyperarousal subdimension of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Among women who had cesarean deliveries, a negative correlation was observed between the harmony-with-nature subdimension of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and the hyperarousal subdimension of the PTSD Scale. Overall, mode of delivery was not significantly associated with PTSD symptoms or spiritual well-being. However, among women who had cesarean deliveries, PTSD symptoms were negatively associated with spiritual well-being.