Psychosocial impacts and types of obstetric violence: narrative literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Obstetric violence is a form of violation of women’s human and reproductive rights that occurs during prenatal care, childbirth, and the postpartum period, manifesting through disrespectful practices, negligence, painful procedures performed without consent, and the absence of attentive communication. Objective: To investigate the psychosocial impacts of obstetric violence and identify the types of obstetric violence reported in the literature regarding the care received during childbirth. Methodology: This study is a narrative literature review. Data collection was conducted through the Virtual Health Library (VHL), using descriptors such as “obstetric violence,” “humanized childbirth,” “women’s health,” and “psychology,” combined with the Boolean operator AND. The review included studies published in the past ten years in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, comprising full-text scientific articles. Excluded from the review were dissertations, theses, books, institutional reports, review studies, and works that did not address women’s experiences during childbirth, as well as articles presenting duplicated information. Results and Discussion: The analyzed studies demonstrate that obstetric violence occurs across multiple dimensions and produces effects that extend beyond the childbirth experience, affecting women’s mental, emotional, and social well-being. What should represent care and safety becomes a traumatic experience marked by fear, shame, and feelings of inferiority. This form of violence is often subtle yet deeply impactful, capable of inducing intense anxiety, sleep disturbances, and, in more severe cases, post-traumatic stress disorder. Final Considerations: Obstetric violence remains a challenge for health systems, demanding not only technical improvements but also ethical and cultural transformations in care practices. Promoting respectful, woman-centered childbirth requires collective commitment, strengthened public policies, and continuous professional training. Only through a critical, empathetic, and responsible approach will it be possible to transform these scenarios, ensuring women’s right to a dignified, safe, autonomous, and violence-free childbirth.