Does the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Labor-Related Anxiety and Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant Women?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly had significant effects on women’s health and the course of pregnancy. The aim of this single-center study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult pregnant and postpartum women’s mental health, as well as to identify factors associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety and fear of delivery. The 465 women included in this questionnaire-based cohort study were divided into two groups: one (controls) of women who gave birth before (n = 190), and the second who were pregnant and delivered during the pandemic (n = 275). The COVID-19 pandemic affected the severity of self-reported anxiety regarding childbirth (mean scores 2.7 vs. 2.36, p = 0.01). The depression (19.84 ± 13.23) and anxiety (16.71 ± 12.53) scores were higher in pregnant women during the COVID 19 pandemic, compared to women who gave birth before the pandemic (8.21 ± 7.38 and 11.67 ± 9.23, respectively). These findings demonstrate the magnitude of the pandemic’s impact on women’s mental health, and actions to improve the mental health of pregnant women in Poland may be crucial for maternal and fetal well-being.

The impact of the second COVID-19 lockdown on anxiety and depressive symptoms in pregnant women: A case study of pregnant women in northern Italy

“…These findings are consistent with the literature; in fact, pandemic effects and restrictions seem to have a more substantial impact on women with previous psychological vulnerability, making them more at risk for psychological distress due to reduced access to regular outpatient visits and high susceptibility to concerns about newborns and family members ( Liu et al, 2021 ; Ravaldi et al, 2020 ). Being close to childbirth time has also been seen to be linked to higher anxiety and depressive symptoms ( Wikarek et al, 2022 ). This phase may become even more frightening during the pandemic in light of fears about the effects of the virus, reduced access to care, and the absence of support from partners and loved ones during labor.…”

The Short-Term Consequences of COVID-19 on Mental Health: State of the Art from Available Studies

“…As regards pregnant women, the unknown effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on pregnancy and the sudden modifications to prenatal care adopted in many countries to reduce viral transmission [ 37 , 54 , 55 ] represent additional stressful factors to be carefully taken into consideration. The extent to which pandemic-related stress and pregnancy-specific stress have affected mental health in childbearing women during the COVID-19 pandemic is largely unknown.…”