Anxiety and Depression symptoms and associated factors in women after pregnancy loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in the interior of Pernambuco state

Abstract

The objective was to analyze the relationships between symptoms of anxiety and depression and factors in women who suffered pregnancy loss during the context of COVID-19 in a V GERES reference hospital in Pernambuco. This is a quantitative, descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional study. Carried out with 57 women hospitalized in a public maternity hospital in the interior of Pernambuco, who were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires with demographic, obstetric data and the Anxiety and Depression Scale (Hospital Anxiety and Depression- HAD). The data were analyzed descriptively using absolute frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. To assess the association between two categorical variables, Pearson's Chi-square test or Fisher's Exact test was used. The significance level used was 5%. As a result, it was evident that the percentage with probable highest anxiety (42.9%) was among those who had the last cesarean section; the percentage with possible depression was higher among those aged 18 to 29 than 30 to 48 years old, while the percentage with probable depression was higher among those aged 30 to 48 than 18 to 19 years old. Although almost all patients reported feelings of sadness, the occurrence of symptoms of anxiety and depression was identified in less than half of the women interviewed. In view of this, the data from the present study reinforce the need to identify possible damage to mental health related to the associated factors of women who have gone through the abortion process, as well as the need for individual attention and humanized assistance by the multidisciplinary team.