Social Distancing in the Era of COVID-19: A Call for Maintaining Social Support for the Maternal Population

Alhomaizi, Alaa; Alhomaizi, Dalal; Willis, Sandra; Verdeli, Helen

doi:10.9745/ghsp-d-20-00398

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Most notably, where many women in our sample desired a doula, they were unable to hire one, especially early in the pandemic. A host of studies have documented that the presence of a support person during pregnancy has positive effects on a woman's mental health (Alhomaizi et al., 2021 ; Iranzad et al., 2014 ; Negron et al., 2013 ). Thus, for the mothers in this study, the absence of partners and birth workers likely contributed to detrimental impacts on their birth experience.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the experiences of pregnant women in the U.S. during the first year of the Covid‐19 pandemic

Williams

Berkowitz

Rackin

2022

Journal of Social Issues

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In this paper, we integrate the stress process model with symbolic interactionism to frame our analysis of interviews with 35 women who were pregnant and/or gave birth during the first year of the Covid‐19 pandemic. We detail three stressors, highlight their variation, and discuss how they coped with these stressors. Women reported having to navigate contradictory information about the public health crisis, but Black participants simultaneously endured added strain from a heightened awareness of racialized violence. To cope with an overabundance of precarious and contradictory messages, some women sought out information (i.e., information gatherers), others eschewed information (i.e., information avoiders), and most established protective “bubbles.” Next, women experienced disruptions in pregnancy rituals but coped by reframing their expectations. This stressor, however, was less acute for women with a prior birth. Third, women shared feelings of social isolation and reduced social support, which were intensified if pregnancy complications occurred. Women coped by relying on telecommunication and at‐home monitoring devices. Our study shows how pregnant women experienced and coped through adversity to mitigate stressors amid pandemonium.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the experiences of pregnant women in the U.S. during the first year of the Covid‐19 pandemic

Williams

Berkowitz

Rackin

2022

Journal of Social Issues

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“…Our findings also suggest that social support is protective against postnatal depression and may even mitigate the effects of some of the other risk factors, such as having an unplanned pregnancy, being a sole parent or living separately from the baby's other parent, and having a long-term physical health problem. The importance of social support to women during the perinatal period cannot be underestimated, 39 and this was highlighted by reports of the negative impact of reduced accessibility to support networks due to Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing measures. 40 For women who have inadequate support networks or who would benefit from additional provision, peer interventions may also offer a valuable source of support and should be valued, nurtured and encouraged by practitioners.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on postnatal depression: analysis of three population-based national maternity surveys in England (2014–2020)

Harrison

Quigley

Fellmeth

et al. 2023

The Lancet Regional Health - Europe

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“…As previously stated [ 33 ], during the COVID-19 pandemic attention should be paid to the social support of pregnant women. Before discharge, families should be investigated to evaluate the effect of education, and the social support system that encourages the participation of spouses should be used to help puerperal women make a smooth transition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The post-discharge coping difficulty of puerperal women in a middle and low-income tourist city during the COVID-19 pandemic

Liu

Peng

Zhang

et al. 2023

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak, the incidence of mental health problems in perinatal women has been high, and particularly prominent in China which was the first country affected by COVID-19. This paper aims to investigate the current situation and the related factors of maternal coping difficulties after discharge during COVID-19. Methods General information questionnaires (the Perinatal Maternal Health Literacy Scale, Postpartum Social Support Scale and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale-New Mother Form) were used to investigate 226 puerperal women in the third week of puerperium. The influencing factors were analyzed by single factor analysis, correlation and multiple linear regression. Results The total score of coping difficulties after discharge was 48.92 ± 12.05. At the third week after delivery, the scores of health literacy and social support were 21.34 ± 5.18 and 47.96 ± 12.71. There were negative correlations among health literacy, social support and coping difficulties after discharge (r = -0.34, r = -0.38, P < 0.001). Primipara, family income, health literacy and social support were the main factors influencing maternal coping difficulties after discharge. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, puerperal women in a low- and middle-income city had moderate coping difficulties after discharge and were affected by many factors. To meet the different needs of parturients and improve their psychological coping ability, medical staff should perform adequate assessment of social resources relevant to parturients and their families when they are discharged, so they can smoothly adapt to the role of mothers.

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Social Distancing in the Era of COVID-19: A Call for Maintaining Social Support for the Maternal Population

Cited by 13 publications

References 60 publications

Exploring the experiences of pregnant women in the U.S. during the first year of the Covid‐19 pandemic

Exploring the experiences of pregnant women in the U.S. during the first year of the Covid‐19 pandemic

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on postnatal depression: analysis of three population-based national maternity surveys in England (2014–2020)

The post-discharge coping difficulty of puerperal women in a middle and low-income tourist city during the COVID-19 pandemic

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