Efficacy of GTEP for trauma symptoms related to a birthing experience.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study to explore the feasibility and efficacy of Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (GTEP) for reducing trauma symptoms following a traumatic birthing experience.
IRAS ID
341922
Contact name
Grace Rodgers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
The aim of this research is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (GTEP) for individuals who are experiencing trauma symptoms related to a traumatic birthing experience. It is estimated that up to 15.7% of individuals will experience some trauma symptoms following childbirth, with 4-6% developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Previous research has found that a psychological intervention called Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been effective in reducing trauma symptoms following childbirth on a 1:1 basis. GTEP is a form of group-based EMDR which has been found to be effective in reducing trauma symptoms in refugee populations and healthcare professionals. However, there is no research exploring its effectiveness for individuals who have experienced a traumatic birthing experience, so there appears to be a need for this study to address this gap in the literature and contribute to the growing evidence base. Furthermore, this study may also help more individuals access appropriate psychological support more quickly, should a group intervention be found to be effective.
Participants will be recruited from the Black Country Perinatal Service according to pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants will be individuals who are actively experiencing trauma symptoms related to a birthing experience (i.e., the birth itself, the postnatal hospital stay and/or any neonatal admission for mum and/or baby). The participants will be offered a 8-session group intervention. This includes one pre-intervention home visit assessment, 6 online GTEP sessions delivered via Zoom and one post-intervention review session. All outcome measures will be completed before and after the GTEP intervention and a PTSD measure (the PCL-5) will be completed before each GTEP session.
Feasibility will also be established through the use of the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), Intervention Appropriate Measure (IAM) and Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) (Weiner et al., 2007).
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SW/0020
Date of REC Opinion
24 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion