Effects of COVID-19 Epidemic Lockdown on Postpartum Depressive Symptoms in a Sample of Italian Mothers

Abstract

The extraordinary health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic represents a new challenge for mental health researchers and clinical practitioners. The related containment measures may be a risk factor for psychological distress and mood disorders, especially in at-risk populations. This study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on postpartum depressive symptoms in mothers with children below 1 year of age. An online questionnaire survey was therefore conducted in Italy between May and June 2020. The survey consisted of several self-administered questionnaires: besides some ad-hoc questionnaires, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Scale of Perceived Social Support (SPSS) and the Maternity Social Support Scale (MSSS) were used. Two hundred forty-three Italian women were included in the study. The prevalence of postpartum depression symptomatology among mothers was 44%, as measured through the EPDS (cut-off >12). Women who spent the isolation in northern Italy adopted maladaptive coping strategies significantly more than women living in areas at lower risk. The analysis highlighted a significant difference between the group that was not directly affected by the virus and women who have had a direct or indirect contact with it. Besides situational factors specific to the pandemic, the results show that there are some risk factors tied to the personal history of the mother (e.g., having had a previous abortion). These data should inform and enlighten future protocols of intervention.

Pregnant women’s well-being and worry during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

“…It is also a predictor of low level of well-being. In a study on 253 Italian postpartum women, women who worried about a close acquaintance being infected and those with a close one actually infected showed higher symptoms of depression than their counterparts [23].…”

Caring for Mothers: A Narrative Review on Interpersonal Violence and Peripartum Mental Health

“…The present narrative review is a comprehensive, critical, and objective analysis of the current knowledge on the important topic of interpersonal violence and perinatal mental health, with a special attention to the more recent literature. The considered studies agree in affirming that women belonging to marginalized communities, women with lower incomes, or women with less education are at greater risk for experiencing intimate partner violence during pregnancy [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Moreover, intimate partner violence represents a potential trigger for the development or worsening of prenatal and/or postpartum depression, and, on the other hand, peripartum depression may heighten the risk for intimate partner violence [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

“…The current COVID-19 pandemic and restrictive measures with consequent serious social isolation and disruption of daily habits have amplified both the risk of domestic violence and psychological distress, and the risk of mood disorders in childbearing women [ 17 , 18 ]. In fact, it has been outlined that the prevalence rates of mental disorders among pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic have been high, especially among multigravida women and women in the first and third trimesters of their pregnancy [ 19 ].…”

When the Bough Breaks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mental Health Symptoms in Mothers of Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…As reported in the PRISMA flow diagram (see Figure 1), our search yielded 1627 nonduplicate records, of which 133 full-text articles were retrieved and evaluated against inclusion criteria. A total of 18 non-overlapping studies met full inclusion criteria (Cameron et al, 2020;Chaves et al, 2021;Fallon et al, 2021;Hamadani et al, 2020;Harrison et al, 2021;Loret de Mola et al, 2021;Molgora & Accordini, 2020;Oskovi-Kaplan et al, 2020;Ostacoli et al, 2020;Pariente et al, 2020;Silverman et al, 2020;Spinola et al, 2020;Stojanov et al, 2020;Suhariati et al, 2020;Sun et al, 2020;Suzuki, 2020;Zanardo et al, 2020;Zanardo et al, 2021).…”