Levels and Predictors of Anxiety and Depression in Turkish Pregnant Woman During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective In addition to being a medical phenomenon, pandemics affect the individual and society on several levels and lead to disruptions. In the pandemic process, different groups in the population, including pregnant women as a defenseless group, are subjected to psychological threat. The present study aimed to determine the levels of anxiety and depression and related factors in pregnant women during the the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Methods The present cross-sectional study was conducted with 269 pregnant women through face-to-face interviews held in Istanbul, Turkey. Regarding the data collection tools, the Cronbach α reliability coefficient was of 0.90 for the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and of 0.85 for the Beck Depression Inventory. Results Among the participating pregnant women, 30.5% had mild, 17.5% had moderate, and 5.9% had severe anxiety symptoms, whereas 35.3% had mild, 16.7% had moderate, and 2.2% had severe depression symptoms. We found that those who were concerned about their health had 5.36 times (p = 0.04) more risk of developing anxiety, and 4.82 times (p = 0.01) more risk of developing depression than those who were not concerned. Those who had a history of psychiatric disease had 3.92 times (p = 0.02) more risk of developing anxiety than those without it. Conclusion We determined that about half of the pregnant women included in the study had some degree of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The risk factors for anxiety and depression among the pregnant women were determined as smoking, concerns about health and getting infected with the coronavirus, history of psychiatric disease, and undergoing regular antenatal care.

Prevalence of Perinatal Anxiety and Related Disorders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…Generalized anxiety disorder (including anxiety not specified) was the most commonly reported anxiety disorder, examined by 184 of 203 studies (90.6%) . The pooled point prevalence for generalized anxiety disorder was 22.2% (95% CI, 19.4%-25.0%; n = 173 553).…”

“…Our search identified 10 617 studies; 1231 full texts were reviewed, and of these, 203 studies were included (Figure 1; eTable 2 in Supplement 1). Cumulatively, outcomes were reported for 212 318 perinatal women (from conception to 12 months post birth) from 33 LMICs. The prevalence estimates of 6 anxiety and related disorders were reported: generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and adjustment disorder.…”

Review of the Depression Rate among Pregnant Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Additionally, Kachi et al [10] reported a 30.6% depression rate from their study, which was limited to employed women and excluded individuals with a history of mental illness. Notably, this low depression rate may indicate a high rate of depression among individuals who are unemployed [19] [24] [32] [50] and have a history of mental illness [5] [13] [14] [20] [39]. Obata et al [11] reported a 33.5% depression rate, 59.6% of all pregnant women were from regions with a high incidence of COVID-19, and the high depression rate among pregnant women in the high epidemic regions [5] [13] [14] [20] [39] may indicate a higher percentage of suspected depression.…”

Conhecimento e percepção de gestantes sobre a COVID-19: impacto nas práticas de cuidado no pré-natal

“…Assim, a falta de resposta para questionamentos que envolvem as implicações da doença na gestação, somado ao medo da contaminação nos serviços de saúde, durante pré-natal, parto e pós-parto, são fatores que colaboram para ansiedade das gestantes. Neste cenário, o estresse pré-natal constitui um importante fator de risco para depressão pós-parto e transtornos perinatais em geral, e para essa população em risco, as consequências da pandemia na saúde mental podem ser ainda maiores (Aba et al, 2020).…”