The German version of the pandemic-related pregnancy stress scale: A validation study

Schaal, Nora K.; Marca-Ghaemmaghami, Pearl La; Preis, Heidi; Mahaffey, Brittain; Lobel, Marci; Castro, Rita Tatiana Amiel

doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.10.062

Cited by 23 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Pandemic-related prenatal perceptions were assessed at T1 using the Pandemic-Related Prenatal Stress Scale (PREPS) that has been validated in the U.S. and elsewhere [ [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] ]. The PREPS includes three distinct factors: PREPS-Preparedness, PREPS-Infection, and PREPS-Positive Appraisal.…”

Section: Participants Ethics and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women

et al. 2022

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Problem Birth satisfaction is an important health outcome that is related to postpartum mood, infant caretaking, and future pregnancy intention. Background The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected antenatal care and intrapartum practices that may reduce birth satisfaction. Aim To investigate the extent to which pandemic-related factors predicted lower birth satisfaction. Methods 2,341 women who were recruited prenatally in April-May 2020 and reported a live birth between April-October 2020 were included in the current analysis. Hierarchical linear regression to predict birth satisfaction from well-established predictors of birth satisfaction (step 1) and from pandemic-related factors (step 2) was conducted. Additionally, the indirect associations of pandemic-related stress with birth satisfaction were investigated. Findings The first step of the regression explained 35% of variance in birth satisfaction. In the second step, pandemic-related factors explained an additional 3% of variance in birth satisfaction. Maternal stress about feeling unprepared for birth due to the pandemic and restrictions on companions during birth independently predicted lower birth satisfaction beyond the non-pandemic variables. Pandemic-related unpreparedness stress was associated with more medicalized birth and greater incongruence with birth preference, thus also indirectly influencing birth satisfaction through a mediation process. Discussion Well-established contributors to birth satisfaction remained potent during the pandemic. In addition, maternal stress and restriction on accompaniment to birth were associated with a small but significant reduction in birth satisfaction. Conclusion Study findings suggest that helping women set flexible and reasonable expectations for birth and allowing at least one intrapartum support person can improve birth satisfaction.

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Section: Participants Ethics and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women

et al. 2022

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“…Pandemic‐related pregnancy stress was assessed using the Pandemic‐Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS)—a novel instrument that was recently validated in the United States 32 and several other countries 34‐36 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of pandemic‐related pregnancy stress in preference for community birth during the beginning of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United States

Preis

Mahaffey

Lobel

2021

Birth

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Background The COVID‐19 pandemic introduced unparalleled uncertainty into the lives of pregnant women, including concerns about where it is the safest to give birth, while preserving their rights and wishes. Reports on the increased interest in community births (at home or in birth centers) are emerging. The purpose of this project was to quantitatively investigate psychological factors related to this birth preference. Methods This study included 3896 pregnant women from the COVID‐19 Pregnancy Experiences (COPE) Study who were anticipating a vaginal birth. COPE Study participants were recruited online between April 24 and May 15, 2020, and completed a questionnaire that included preference with respect to place of birth and psychological constructs: fear of childbirth, basic beliefs about birth, pandemic‐related preparedness stress, and pandemic‐related perinatal infection stress. Results Women who preferred a community birth, on average, had less childbirth fear, had stronger beliefs that birth is a natural process, were less likely to see birth as a medical process, and were less stressed about being unprepared for birth and being infected with COVID‐19. In multivariate models, higher stress about perinatal COVID‐19 infection was associated with greater likelihood of preferring a community birth. The effect of perinatal infection stress on preference was stronger when preparedness stress was high. Discussion Women's birth preferences during the COVID‐19 pandemic are associated with psychological processes related to risk perception. Community births are more appealing to women who view being in a hospital as hazardous because of the pandemic. Policies and prenatal care aimed to increase access to safe in‐hospital and out‐of‐hospital birth services should be encouraged.

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“…The instrument includes 15 items describing thoughts and concerns that pregnant women might have owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, rated on a scale from 1 (very little) to 5 (very much). The PREPS includes three independent, internally consistent, factors: stress associated with preparations for birth and the postpartum period (7 items; PREPS-Preparedness), stress associated with worries about perinatal COVID-19 infection (5 items; PREPS-Infection), and positive aspects of the pandemic in the context of pregnancy (3 items; PREPS-Positive Appraisal) [ 42 , 48 ]. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the Hebrew version to replicate the three-factor structure of the PREPS previously identified, which yielded a good model fit (CFI = 0.929, TLI = 0.910, RMSEA = 0.078).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Depressive Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Pregnancy

Yirmiya

Yakirevich-Amir

Preis

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has multiple ramifications for pregnant women. Untreated depression during pregnancy may have long-term effects on the mother and offspring. Therefore, delineating the effects of pregnancy on the mental health of reproductive-age women is crucial. This study aims to determine the risk for depressive symptoms in pregnant and non-pregnant women during COVID-19, and to identify its bio-psycho-social contributors. A total of 1114 pregnant and 256 non-pregnant women were recruited via social media in May 2020 to complete an online survey that included depression and anxiety questionnaires, as well as demographic, obstetric and COVID-19-related questionnaires. Pregnant women also completed the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS). Pregnant women reported fewer depressive symptoms and were less concerned that they had COVID-19 than non-pregnant women. Among pregnant women, risk factors for depression included lower income, fewer children, unemployment, thinking that one has COVID-19, high-risk pregnancy, earlier gestational age, and increased pregnancy-related stress. Protective factors included increased partner support, healthy behaviors, and positive appraisal of the pregnancy. Thus, being pregnant is associated with reduced risk for depressive symptoms during the pandemic. Increased social support, engaging in health behaviors and positive appraisal may enhance resilience. Future studies of pregnant versus non-pregnant women could clarify the role of pregnancy during stressful events, and clarify aspects of susceptibility and resilience during pregnancy.

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The German version of the pandemic-related pregnancy stress scale: A validation study

Cited by 23 publications

References 20 publications

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women

The role of pandemic‐related pregnancy stress in preference for community birth during the beginning of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United States

Women’s Depressive Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Pregnancy

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