The impact of exposure to traumatic perinatal events on maternity staff has been overlooked for too long. It is a critical occupational health issue not only for carers but also for their teams, patients, and close relatives.

Our cross-sectional study aimed to assess the impact of Traumatic Perinatal Events (TPEs) on the mental health of the carers working at the University Hospital of Dijon (a French type 3 maternity unit). Our online survey was sent to all the carers working at the maternity unit between March and May 2024. Participants were asked to complete the IES-R (Impact of Event Scale-Revised), the CBI (Compassion Satisfaction Inventory) patient-related subscale, and the PTGI-SF (Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form) to estimate the respective prevalence of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), burnout, and post-traumatic growth. Participants were also asked to identify the different potentially traumatic perinatal events they had encountered and report the level of distress they had experienced.

The participation rate in this study was 24 %. Most of our sample is made up of midwives, physicians, and neonatal nursing assistants. Among respondents, 26.7 % met the criteria for probable PTSD, and 7 % for partial symptoms. Scores compatible with moderate patient-related burnout were found in 32.2 % of subjects, while scores suggestive of severe patient-related burnout were attained by 10.2 % of respondents. Results indicative of post-traumatic growth were observed in 63.2 % of participants. Finally, the staff seemed to be exposed to several potentially highly traumatic perinatal events in the delivery room (e.g., maternal or perinatal death or severe injury to the baby) and outside (e.g., criticism during M&Ms, official patient complaint, performance evaluation by superiors, or mention in a medico-legal claim).

Our results highlight the need to seriously address the mental health issues related to occupational trauma exposure, possibly through a prevention programme.