Search strategy
Four English databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase and PubMed) and two
Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI]
and Wanfang) were searched from inception to 28 February 2022. Advanced
searches were performed using a combination of two groups of terms
according to the syntax rules of each database: (1) birth trauma-related
terms including birth trauma, traumatic delivery, perceived birth
trauma, physical birth trauma, and psychological birth trauma, and (2)
PTSD-related terms including stress disorders, post-traumatic,
post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, delayed onset post-traumatic
stress disorder, chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, and acute
post-traumatic stress disorder. The reference lists of all the related
reviews and guidelines as well as electronically retrieved articles
selected for inclusion in the present review were hand-searched to
ensure comprehensive coverage of all relevant literature. Prior to the
final analyses, the search was repeated to allow the inclusion of any
newly published studies. As an example, the search strategy used with
PubMed is presented (see Appendix S1).