Dr Rebecca Webb
Contact details
About
Overview
Rebecca completed her PhD at City in 2018 entitled "Maternal mental health, processing of emotion and maternal sensitivity". She is a research fellow with expertise in perinatal mental health, access to perinatal mental health care, birth trauma and systematic reviews. She is particularly interested in maternal mistreatment/obstetric violence during birth and how this can impact women's mental health. She works on multiple projects including the MATRIx study: https://www.matrixstudy.org/, the INTERSECT study: https://www.intersectstudy.org/ and ADORE: https://blogs.city.ac.uk/adore/. Rebecca currently has space to supervise PhD students, and would welcome inquiries from people interested in carrying out a PhD in perinatal mental health, birth experiences, birth trauma, or maternal mistreatment.
Qualifications
- PhD, City, University of London, United Kingdom, October 2013 - June 2018
- BSc Psychology with Clinical Psychology, University of Kent, United Kingdom
Employment
- Research Fellow, City, University of London, United Kingdom, September 2019 - present
Publications
Featured publications
- Webb, R., Smith, A.M., Ayers, S., Wright, D.B. and Thornton, A. (2021). Development and Validation of a Measure of Birth-Related PTSD for Fathers and Birth Partners: The City Birth Trauma Scale (Partner Version). Frontiers in Psychology, 12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.596779
- Ayers, S., Bond, R., Webb, R., Miller, P. and Bateson, K. (2019). Perinatal mental health and risk of child maltreatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 98, pp. 104172-104172. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104172
- Ayers, S., Crawley, R., Webb, R., Button, S. and Thornton, A. (2019). What are women stressed about after birth? Birth, 46(4), pp. 678-685. doi:10.1111/birt.12455
- Webb, R. and Ayers, S. (2019). Postnatal mental health and mothers’ processing of infant emotion: an eye-tracking study. Anxiety, Stress and Coping. doi:10.1080/10615806.2019.1620215
- Webb, R., Ayers, S. and Endress, A. (2018). The City Infant Faces Database: A validated set of infant facial expressions. Behavior Research Methods, 50(1), pp. 151-159. doi:10.3758/s13428-017-0859-9
- Webb, R., Ayers, S. and Rosan, C. (2018). A systematic review of measures of mental health and emotional wellbeing in parents of children aged 0–5. Journal of Affective Disorders, 225, pp. 608-617. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.08.063
- Webb, R. and Ayers, S. (2015). Cognitive biases in processing infant emotion by women with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in pregnancy or after birth: A systematic review. Cognition and Emotion, 29(7), pp. 1278-1294. doi:10.1080/02699931.2014.977849
Publications by category
Conference papers and proceedings (4)
- Webb, R., Ayers, S., Constantinou, G. and Uddin, N. The impact of childbirth-related PTSD on the mother-baby bond: Results from the International Survey of Childbirth-Related Trauma. .
- Webb, R., Bond, R., Romero-Gonzalez, B., Mycroft, R. and Ayers, S. A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to treat fear of childbirth during pregnancy. .
- Webb, R. and Ashford, M. Using Social Media to Recruit Women with Perinatal Mental Health Difficulties for Research Studies. .
- de Lusignan Simon, , Smith Nadia, , Livina Valerie, , Yonova Ivelina, , Webb Rebecca, and Thomas Spencer A., Analysis of Primary Care Computerised Medical Records with Deep Learning. .doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-959-1-249
Journal articles (35)
- Constantinou, G., Ayers, S., Webb, R., Handelzalts, J., Wright, D.B., Grollman, C.... Zedan, H.S. (2026). Symptom presentation of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress in 31 countries: the INTERSECT study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 412, pp. 122092-122092. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.122092
- Webb, R., Uddin, N., Constantinou, G. and Ayers, S. (2026). Risk factors for birth trauma and postpartum posttraumatic stress in the United Kingdom : Results from the international survey of childbirth‐related trauma. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 105(6), pp. 1163-1172. doi:10.1111/aogs.70236
- Webb, R., Uddin, N., Constantinou, G., Cheyne, H. and Ayers, S. (2026). Prevalence of Birth Trauma and Childbirth-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in UK Women: Results from the International Survey of Childbirth-Related Trauma. Women's Reproductive Health, 13(1), pp. 16-27. doi:10.1080/23293691.2025.2545307
- Batool, S.S., Chatrath, S.K., Batool, S.A., Batool, R., Ayers, S. and Webb, R. (2025). Interplay of traumatic birth experiences and postnatal depression in Pakistani women. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-27209-0
- Greenwood, K., Jones, C.I., Yaziji, N., Healey, A., May, C., Bremner, S.... Peters, E. (2025). Team-based motivational engagement intervention in young people with first-episode psychosis: the EYE-2 cluster RCT with economic and process evaluation. Health and Social Care Delivery Research pp. 1-221. doi:10.3310/wdwg4102
- Ciuffo, G., Ionio, C., Epifania, O.M., Landoni, M., Bianchi, S., Webb, R.... Ayers, S. (2025). Validation of the City Birth Trauma Scale in Italian: addressing childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology pp. 1-19. doi:10.1080/02646838.2025.2546969
- McInnes, A., Bradley, J., Uddin, N., Khine, R., Webb, R. and Ayers, S. (2025). Validation of the City Birth Trauma Scale to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms in maternity staff. Midwifery, 147, pp. 104430-104430. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2025.104430
- Ayers, S., Brooks Wright, D., Caparros-Gonzalez, R.A., Ciuffo, G., Constantinou, G., Dikmen-Yildiz, P.... Webb, R. (2025). A brief international screening tool for traumatic birth and childbirth-related PTSD: the city BiTS-short form. BMJ Global Health, 10(8), pp. e019216-e019216. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2025-019216
- Greenwood, K., Jones, C., Yaziji, N., Healey, A., May, C., Bremner, S.... Peters, E. (2025). The Early Youth Engagement (EYE-2) intervention in first-episode psychosis services: pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial and cost-effectiveness evaluation. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 226(3), pp. 144-152. doi:10.1192/bjp.2024.154
- Handelzalts, J.E., Ayers, S., Webb, R., Constantinou, G., Lucas, G., Grollman, C.... Žutić, M. (2025). Cross-national risk factors for childbirth-related PTSD: Findings from the INTERSECT study. Psychological Medicine, 55. doi:10.1017/s0033291725102298
- Skelton, E., Webb, R., Malamateniou, C., Rutherford, M. and Ayers, S. (2024). The impact of antenatal imaging on parent experience and prenatal attachment: a systematic review. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 42(1), pp. 22-44. doi:10.1080/02646838.2022.2088710
- Webb, R., Ford, E., Shakespeare, J., Easter, A., Alderdice, F., Holly, J.... Ayers, S. (2024). Conceptual framework on barriers and facilitators to implementing perinatal mental health care and treatment for women: the MATRIx evidence synthesis. Health and Social Care Delivery Research pp. 1-187. doi:10.3310/kqfe0107
- Andrei, A.-.M., Webb, R. and Enea, V. (2023). Health anxiety, death anxiety and coronaphobia: Predictors of postpartum depression symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Midwifery, 124. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2023.103747
- Webb, R., Ford, E., Easter, A., Shakespeare, J., Holly, J., Hogg, S.... Study Team, M. (2023). Conceptual frameworks of barriers and facilitators to perinatal mental healthcare: the MATRIx models. BJPsych Open, 9(4). doi:10.1192/bjo.2023.510
- Webb, R., Ford, E., Easter, A., Shakespeare, J., Holly, J., Hogg, S.... Ayers, S. (2023). Conceptual frameworks of barriers and facilitators to perinatal mental healthcare: the MATRIx models. BJPsych Open, 9(4). doi:10.1192/bjo.2023.510
- Webb, R., Uddin, N., Constantinou, G., Ford, E., Easter, A., Shakespeare, J.... Ayers, S. (2023). Meta-review of the barriers and facilitators to women accessing perinatal mental healthcare. BMJ Open, 13(7), pp. e066703-e066703. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066703
- Andrei, A.-.M., Webb, R. and Enea, V. (2023). Self-criticism and self-compassion as mediators of the relationship between alexithymia and postpartum depressive symptoms. Psihologija, 56(2), pp. 145-162. doi:10.2298/psi220422002a
- Uddin, N., Ayers, S., Khine, R. and Webb, R. (2022). The perceived impact of birth trauma witnessed by maternity health professionals: A systematic review. Midwifery, 114, pp. 103460-103460. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2022.103460
- Webb, R., Ayers, S. and Shakespeare, J. (2022). Improving accessing to perinatal mental health care. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 40(5), pp. 435-438. doi:10.1080/02646838.2022.2121993
- Skelton, E., Webb, R., Rutherford, M., Malamateniou, C. and Ayers, S. (2022). The impact of antenatal imaging on parent experience and prenatal attachment: a systematic review. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology pp. I-I. doi:10.1080/02646838.2022.2088710
- Goyal, D., Beck, C.T., Webb, R. and Ayers, S. (2022). Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Experiences During COVID-19. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 47(2), pp. 77-84. doi:10.1097/nmc.0000000000000802
- Brown, A., Nielsen, J.D.J., Russo, K., Ayers, S. and Webb, R. (2022). The Journey towards resilience following a traumatic birth: A grounded theory. Midwifery, 104, pp. 103204-103204. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2021.103204
- Nakić Radoš, S., Matijaš, M., Brekalo, M., Webb, R. and Ayers, S. (2021). Validation of the City Infant Faces Database in Student and Parent Samples. Psihologijske teme, 30(3), pp. 591-614. doi:10.31820/pt.30.3.10
- Greenwood, K., Webb, R., Gu, J., Fowler, D., de Visser, R., Bremner, S.... Peters, E. (2021). The Early Youth Engagement in first episode psychosis (EYE-2) study: pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of implementation, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a team-based motivational engagement intervention to improve engagement. Trials, 22(1). doi:10.1186/s13063-021-05105-y
- Webb, R., Ayers, S., Bogaerts, A., Jeličić, L., Pawlicka, P., Van Haeken, S.... Ventura, S.S. (2021). When birth is not as expected: a systematic review of the impact of a mismatch between expectations and experiences. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 21(1). doi:10.1186/s12884-021-03898-z
- Webb, R., Bond, R., Romero-Gonzalez, B., Mycroft, R. and Ayers, S. (2021). Interventions to treat fear of childbirth in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine pp. 1-14. doi:10.1017/s0033291721002324
- Webb, R., Bartl, G., James, B., Skan, R., Peters, E., Jones, A.-.M.... Greenwood, K. (2021). Exploring the Development, Validity, and Utility of the Short-Form Version of the CHoice of Outcome In Cbt for PsychosEs: A Patient-Reported Outcome Measure of Psychological Recovery. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 47(3), pp. 653-661. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbaa173
- Lee, S., Holden, D., Webb, R. and Ayers, S. (2019). Pregnancy related risk perception in pregnant women, midwives & doctors: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 19(1). doi:10.1186/s12884-019-2467-4
- Thomas, S.A., Smith, N.A., Livina, V., Yonova, I., Webb, R. and de Lusignan, S. (2019). Analysis of Primary Care Computerized Medical Records (CMR) Data With Deep Autoencoders (DAE). Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 5. doi:10.3389/fams.2019.00042
- Pebody, R., Djennad, A., Ellis, J., Andrews, N., Marques, D.F.P., Cottrell, S.... Zambon, M. (2019). End of season influenza vaccine effectiveness in adults and children in the United Kingdom in 2017/18. Eurosurveillance, 24(31). doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2019.24.31.1800488
- Brook, J., Aitken, L., Webb, R., MacLaren, J. and Salmon, D. (2019). Characteristics of successful interventions to reduce turnover and increase retention of early career nurses: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 91, pp. 47-59. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.11.003
- de Lusignan, S., McGee, C., Webb, R., Joy, M., Byford, R., Yonova, I.... Rafi, I. (2018). Conurbation, Urban, and Rural Living as Determinants of Allergies and Infectious Diseases: Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre Annual Report 2016-2017. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 4(4), pp. e11354-e11354. doi:10.2196/11354
- Webb, R., Ayers, S. and Endress, A. (2015). The Presentation and Validation of the City Baby Face Database. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 33(3). doi:10.1080/02646838.2015.1115265
- Webb, R. (2015). Cognitive biases in processing infant emotion by women with depression, anxiety and PTSD in pregnancy or after birth: a systematic review. JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE AND INFANT PSYCHOLOGY, 33(3), pp. E16-E16
- Newman, M., Fagan, C. and Webb, R. (2014). Innovations in Practice: The efficacy of nonviolent resistance groups in treating aggressive and controlling children and young people: a preliminary analysis of pilot NVR groups in K ent. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(2), pp. 138-141. doi:10.1111/camh.12049
Report
- Webb, R., Ford, E.M., Shakespeare, J., Easter, A., Alderdice, F., Holly, J.... Ayers, S. Perinatal Mental Health Assessment and TReatment: An Evidence Synthesis and Conceptual Framework of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation (MATRIx). NIHR Journals Library.