Navigating uncertainty alone: A grounded theory analysis of women’s psycho-social experiences of pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in London

Montgomery, Elsa; Backer, Kaat De; Easter, Abigail; Magee, Laura A.; Sandall, Jane; Silverio, Sergio A.

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2022.05.002

Cited by 14 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Current findings add to the substantial body of literature demonstrating that untailored social distancing legislation has had dire consequences for the mental health of pregnant women. Although social distancing and ‘lockdown’ measures have been found in certain circumstances to provide time and space for bonding between parents and newborns [ 74 ], the findings from this study offer additional considerations for policy and practice so to better protect perinatal mental health during times of unprecedented national strain. Telephone and virtual (e.g., Zoom) interviewing allowed for nationwide participation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite initial enthusiasm for participation, recruitment for both timepoints proved onerous, and with the relative unpredictability of birth, some women had to be included into their early postpartum and retrospectively reflect on their antenatal experiences, which could have introduced bias into the results. Nuances exist between these populations with regards to the effects of social distancing restrictions e.g., prohibition of partners from maternity suites versus pregnancy scans [ 34 , 74 ], pregnant women initially being advised to shield due to their perceived vulnerability [ 18 ]. Our sample was also–on the whole–highly educated, something noted in much on-line research, and may affect generalisability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The antenatal psychological experiences of women during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: A recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis

Jackson,

Davies,

Podkujko

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Initial COVID-19-related social distancing restrictions, imposed in the UK in March 2020, and the subsequent lifting of restrictions in May 2020 caused antenatal disruption and stress which exceeded expected vulnerabilities associated with this lifecourse transition. The current study aimed to explore the antenatal psychological experiences of women during different phases of pandemic-related lockdown restrictions in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were held with 24 women about their antenatal experiences: twelve were interviewed after the initial lockdown restrictions (Timepoint 1; T1), and a separate twelve women were interviewed after the subsequent lifting of those restrictions (Timepoint 2; T2). Interviews were transcribed and a recurrent, cross-sectional thematic analysis was conducted. Two themes were identified for each timepoint, and each theme contained sub-themes. T1 themes were: ‘A Mindful Pregnancy’ and ‘It’s a Grieving Process’, and T2 themes were: ‘Coping with Lockdown Restrictions’ and ‘Robbed of Our Pregnancy’. COVID-19 related social distancing restrictions had an adverse effect on women’s mental health during the antenatal period. Feeling trapped, anxious, and abandoned were common at both timepoints. Actively encouraging conversations about mental wellbeing during routine care and adopting a prevention opposed to cure attitude toward implementing additional support provisions may serve to improve antenatal psychological wellbeing during health crises.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The antenatal psychological experiences of women during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: A recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis

Jackson,

Davies,

Podkujko

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Echoing these findings, an analysis of qualitative data from women recruited to The King's Together Fund Changing Maternity Care Study identified tensions between good and poor practices, which affected perinatal psycho-social wellbeing ( 28 ). Results included dyadic pairs of experiences as women struggled to navigate the uncertainties of the pandemic and pregnancy, alone.…”

Section: Available Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results included dyadic pairs of experiences as women struggled to navigate the uncertainties of the pandemic and pregnancy, alone. The dyadic pairs included the following: “lack of relational care vs. good practice persisting during the pandemic”; “denying the embodied experience of pregnancy and birth vs. trying to keep everyone safe”; and “removed from support network vs. importance of being at home as a family” ( 28 ). Consistent with other PIVOT-AL works, the realities of maternity care were disappointing compared with expectations and experiences before the pandemic, which exacerbated distress ( 28 ).…”

Section: Available Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The dyadic pairs included the following: “lack of relational care vs. good practice persisting during the pandemic”; “denying the embodied experience of pregnancy and birth vs. trying to keep everyone safe”; and “removed from support network vs. importance of being at home as a family” ( 28 ). Consistent with other PIVOT-AL works, the realities of maternity care were disappointing compared with expectations and experiences before the pandemic, which exacerbated distress ( 28 ). The lack of access to relational care, the introduction of telemedicine and reliance on virtual appointments, and the exclusion of partners from routine care were particularly challenging for emotional wellbeing.…”

Section: Available Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A consensus statement on perinatal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendations for post-pandemic recovery and re-build

Jackson,

Greenfield,

Payne

et al. 2024

Front. Glob. Womens Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant lifecourse rupture, not least to those who had specific physical vulnerabilities to the virus, but also to those who were suffering with mental ill health. Women and birthing people who were pregnant, experienced a perinatal bereavement, or were in the first post-partum year (i.e., perinatal) were exposed to a number of risk factors for mental ill health, including alterations to the way in which their perinatal care was delivered.MethodsA consensus statement was derived from a cross-disciplinary collaboration of experts, whereby evidence from collaborative work on perinatal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic was synthesised, and priorities were established as recommendations for research, healthcare practice, and policy.ResultsThe synthesis of research focused on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal health outcomes and care practices led to three immediate recommendations: what to retain, what to reinstate, and what to remove from perinatal mental healthcare provision. Longer-term recommendations for action were also made, categorised as follows: Equity and Relational Healthcare; Parity of Esteem in Mental and Physical Healthcare with an Emphasis on Specialist Perinatal Services; and Horizon Scanning for Perinatal Mental Health Research, Policy, & Practice.DiscussionThe evidence base on the effect of the pandemic on perinatal mental health is growing. This consensus statement synthesises said evidence and makes recommendations for a post-pandemic recovery and re-build of perinatal mental health services and care provision.

show abstract

Signs of front‐line healthcare professionals' information anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Grounded theory study in a Wuhan hospital

Lu,

Tao,

Peng

et al. 2024

Nursing Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimBeing front‐line healthcare professionals is associated with possible severe information anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Investigating signs of information anxiety is the first and key step of its targeted medical intervention. This study aims to explore the signs of front‐line healthcare professionals' information anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic.DesignThis study is qualitative research. Grounded theory was used to classify information anxiety signs of front‐line healthcare professionals.MethodsTwenty‐four front‐line healthcare professionals from a general hospital with over 5000 beds in Wuhan were recruited to participate in semi‐structured interviews. According to the frequency and frequency variation of signs appearing in interviews, the trends of signs during the virus encounter, lockdown, flattening and second wave were compared. Based on the interviews, those signs that were conceptually related to each other were extracted to construct a conceptual model.ResultsPsychological signs (emotion, worry, doubt, caution, hope), physical signs (insomnia, inattention, memory loss, appetite decreased) and behavioural signs (panic buying of goods, be at a loss, pay attention to relevant information, change habits) could be generalized from 13 subcategories of information anxiety signs. Psychological signs were the most in every period of the pandemic. Furthermore, psychological signs decreased significantly during lockdown, while behavioural and physical signs increased. Finally, severe psychological and behavioural signs were associated with physical signs.

show abstract

Navigating uncertainty alone: A grounded theory analysis of women’s psycho-social experiences of pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in London

Cited by 14 publications

References 44 publications

The antenatal psychological experiences of women during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: A recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis

The antenatal psychological experiences of women during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: A recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis

A consensus statement on perinatal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendations for post-pandemic recovery and re-build

Signs of front‐line healthcare professionals' information anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Grounded theory study in a Wuhan hospital

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About