Dear Elizabeth,

Foa, Riggs, Dancu, Rothbaum (1993) have developed PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS). Foa is here on RG and the complete PTSD scale is on the net: http://depts.washington.edu/hcsats/PDF/TF-%20CBT/pages/3%20Assessment/Standardized%20Measures/PSS-Adult.pdf

Indeed , there are 2 studies that use the PSS to look at birth trauma and so using this same measure would allow a comparison or even meta-analysis across studies with greater ease. Here's one study:

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Volume 73, Issue 4, October 2012, Pages 257–263

PTSD following childbirth: A prospective study of incidence and risk factors in

Canadian women

Nancy Verreault

a,b,⁎, Deborah Da Costa a,c, André Marchand b, Kierla Ireland a, Hailey Banack a,c,Maria Dritsa

a, Samir Khalifé da

Objective:

The goals of the present study were to estimate the incidence and course of full and partialPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following childbirth and to prospectively identify factors associated

with the development of PTSD symptoms at 1 month following childbirth.

Methods:

The sample comprised 308 women, with assessments at four time points: 25–40 weeks gestation,4

–6 weeks postpartum, 3 and 6 months postpartum. Current and prior PTSD were assessed by the StructuredClinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) and the Modi

fied PTSD Symptom Scale Self-Report (MPSS-SR).Results:

Incidence rates of PTSD varied according to time of measurement and instrument used, with higherrates of full and partial PTSD using the MPSS-SR at 1 month postpartum (7.6% and 16.6%, respectively). Multivariate

logistic regression showed that higher anxiety sensitivity (OR=1.75; 95% CI=1.19 2.57,

p=.005),history of sexual trauma (OR=2.81; 95% CI=1.07 7.37,

p=.036), a more negative childbirth experiencethan expected (OR=0.96; 95% CI=0.94 0.98,

p=.001), and less available social support at 1 month postpartum(OR=0.40; 95% CI=0.17 0.96,

p=.041) independently predicted full or partial PTSD at 1 month followingchildbirth.

Conclusion:

Our results indicate that a history of sexual trauma and anxiety sensitivity can increase the probabilityof developing PTSD after childbirth. The

findings highlight the importance of screening and providingmore tailored services for women at high risk.

Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Here's another study using the PSS around Birth trauma:

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2012; 12: 88.

Published online Sep 3, 2012. doi:  10.1186/1471-2393-12-88

PMCID: PMC3512536

Prevalence and risk factors of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress symptoms

Maryam Modarres,1 Sedigheh Afrasiabi,2 Parvin Rahnama, 3 and Ali Montazeri 4

1Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

3Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

4Mental Health Research Group, Health Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

Corresponding author.

Maryam Modarres: ri.ca.smut.anis@serradom; Sedigheh Afrasiabi: moc.oohay@ibaisarfA; Parvin Rahnama: moc.oohay@1831amanhar_p; Ali Montazeri: ri.ca.rceca@irezatnom

Author information ► Article notes ► Copyright and License information ►

Received February 24, 2012; Accepted August 31, 2012.

Copyright ©2012 Modarres et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Go to:

Abstract

Background

There is evidence that traumatic birth experiences are associated with psychological impairments. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress symptoms and its obstetric and perinatal risk factors among a sample of Iranian women.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Bushehr, Iran during a 3-months period from July to September 2009. Data were collected from all women attending eleven healthcare centers for postnatal care 6 to 8 weeks after childbirth. Those who had a traumatic delivery were identified and entered into the study. In order to assess childbirth-related post-traumatic stress, the Post-traumatic Symptom Scale-Interview (PSS-I) was administered. Data on demographic, obstetric and perinatal characteristics also were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the association between childbirth-related post-traumatic stress and demographic and obstetric and perinatal variables.

Results

In all, 400 women were initially evaluated. Of these, 218 women (54.5%) had a traumatic delivery and overall, 80 women (20%) were found to be suffering from post-partum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that post-partum PTSD was associated with educational level, gestational age at delivery, number of prenatal care visits, pregnancy complications, pregnancy intervals, labor duration, and mode of delivery.

Conclusions

The findings indicated that the prevalence of traumatic birth experiences and post-partum PTSD were relatively high among Iranian women. The findings also indicated that obstetric and perinatal variables were independently the most significant contributing factors to women’s post-partum PTSD. It seems that a better perinatal care and supportive childbirth might help to reduce the burden of post-partum PTSD among this population

Dear Beatrice and Daniel

 Thank you so much for this great information - I will also  share this with Prof Hans Peter Dietz - the head of this research team re levator ani/ OASIS birth injuries.

Have you looked into the PTSD Checklist Clinical Version (PCL-C)? We used this in a study with older survivors of sexual violence and trauma. This measure has 17 constructs, with response scales for each of them (ranking items from one to five depending on severity of symptoms). I like it because it can be administered in a relatively short period of time, which I imagine would be optimal for women who had recently given birth.

While I understand that I am late to offering this suggestion, I hope that this response may be helpful in your future research on this emerging topic of study.