Reframing Obstetric Violence Culture: A Concept Analysis

ABSTRACT

Aim

To examine the concept of obstetric violence culture and establish a working definition for application to practice, research, and policy in perinatal care.

Design

Concept analysis.

Methods

Rodgers' evolutionary method guided the analysis and data organisation into antecedents, attributes, and consequences.

Data Sources

A systematic search using the phrase ‘obstetric violence’ was conducted in CINAHL and PubMed databases. Articles published in English between November 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024, were included.

Results

Sixty-two articles were included. Antecedents reflected the historical medicalisation of birth, professional hierarchies, and structural inequities. Attributes—disbelief of harm, victim blaming, revictimisation, and disempowerment—mirror those identified in rape culture. Consequences spanned birthing people, clinicians, and systems, including mistrust, moral distress, and institutional silence. The resulting definition frames obstetric violence culture as an embedded and normalised set of practices and beliefs that sustain mistreatment in perinatal care.

Conclusion

Obstetric violence culture is not an outlier, but a pervasive and institutionalised framework to be systematically dismantled.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

Nurses have an ethical obligation to recognise and disrupt obstetric violence culture. Structural change, clinical education, and institutional accountability are necessary to uphold patient autonomy and dignity.

Reporting Method

This study followed Rodgers' evolutionary method and adheres to relevant EQUATOR guidelines for conceptual research.

Patient or Public Contribution

This study did not include patient or public involvement.