Parental Well-being After Childbirth in Switzerland

NCT ID: NCT06886841

Last Updated: 2025-03-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 4200 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-03-17
• Study Completion Date: 2026-06-30

Brief Summary

Improving maternal and child health is a global priority, with increasing emphasis on ensuring women and their families not only survive but also thrive after childbirth. While high-income countries like Switzerland provide strong antenatal and intrapartum care, the quality of postnatal care often lags behind, despite the critical physical, mental, and social needs of the postpartum period. Studies indicate high rates of mental distress, physical pain, and sexual discomfort among mothers, alongside a lack of research on the well-being of co-parents.

The main question this cohort study aims to answer is: how do the health and well-being of mothers and co-parents evolve during the first year after childbirth? Participants will complete four online questionnaires: the first within the first few days after birth, followed by additional assessments at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum.

This comprehensive approach seeks to inform policy and improve evidence-based postnatal care practices, benefiting approximately 80,000 families annually in Switzerland.

Conditions

Mental Health; Physical Health; Postpartum; Parents; Quality of Life; Quality of Care; Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Women who give birth in a participating maternity unit or birth center during the study period.
• Partner of a participating women: the partner must be designated by the mother, live with her at the time of birth, and only one partner can be included per mother.
• Gestational age at birth: ≥22+0 weeks and/or birthweight ≥500 grams
• Age: Participants must be 14 years or older.
• Language Proficiency: Participants must have sufficient proficiency in one of Switzerland's main official languages (German, French, Italian) or English to ensure accurate communication and comprehension of study materials.

Exclusion Criteria

• Refusal to participate
• Inability to provide informed consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 14 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Laurent Gaucher

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Laurent Gaucher

Professor

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Laurent Gaucher, RM, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Geneva School of Health Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.

Locations

Haute Ecole de Santé Genève

Geneva, , Switzerland

Site Status: RECRUITING

ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences

Winterthur, , Switzerland

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Switzerland

Central Contacts

Laurent GAUCHER, PhD

Role: CONTACT

laurent.gaucher@hesge.ch

+41 22 558 68 96

Elsa Lorthe, PhD

Role: CONTACT

elsa.lorthe@hesge.ch

+41 22 558 79 54

Facility Contacts

Laurent Gaucher, RM, PhD

Role: primary

laurent.gaucher@hesge.ch

+41 22 558 68 96

Elsa Lorthe, RM, PhD

Role: backup

elsa.lorthe@hesge.ch

Susanne Grylka, RM, PhD

Role: primary

susanne.grylka@zhaw.ch

+41 58 934 43 77

Other Identifiers

220494

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

G700026130408

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id