Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM: Campus Center Auditorium [A77]

The Impact of Design on Postpartum Recovery

Presenter: JASMINE BENITES

Faculty Sponsor: Carolyn Crotty Guttilla

School: Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Research Area: Art & Design

ABSTRACT

Postpartum (period after birth) is a vulnerable time for women. Postpartum recovery is an intense and deeply personal experience, involving physical healing, hormonal shifts, and major emotional adjustments. A study done by McGill university and University of Tel Aviv in “found that approximately one third of all postpartum women suffer elements of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and three to seven percent suffer full blown PTSD” ((Leeder, 2017). For women facing PTSD -- often linked to traumatic birth experience, medical emergencies, or prior trauma -- the home environment can significantly influence how safe, regulated, and supported they feel. “The quality of life of PTSD patients affects their cognition and behavior, reducing life function, especially in women” (Chayadi, 2024). This research explores how intentional interior design strategies can support postpartum women coping with PTSD.

Drawing from trauma-informed design principles, environmental psychology, and healthcare design research, “The impact of design on postpartum recovery” highlights elements such as lighting, color psychology, material selection, acoustics, biophilic elements as therapeutic tools. This progression of the role of interior design has enabled research on the benefits of interior design, particularly with postpartum women.  As an individual entering the workforce with the intention of redefining the field of interior design, I want to promote how interior design can be part of the health field. As we continue to recognize the complexities of postpartum recovery, it is essential to view the home not just as a backdrop to this transition, but as a partner empowering women to feel supported, safe, and strengthened in early motherhood. 

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