The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress and Anxiety of Non-infected Pregnant Mothers

Background This systematic review aims to explore the prevalence of the impact of the COVID-19, MERS, and SARS pandemics on the mental health of pregnant women. Methods All COVID-19, SARS and MERS studies that evaluated the mental health of pregnant women with/without gynaecological conditions that were reported in English between December 2000 – July 2021 were included. The search criteria were developed based upon the research question using PubMed, Science Direct, Ovid PsycINFO and EMBASE databases. A wide search criterion was used to ensure the inclusion of all pregnant women with existing gynaecological conditions. The Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale was used to assess the risk of bias for all included studies. Random effects model with restricted maximum-likelihood estimation method was applied for the meta-analysis and I-square statistic was used to evaluate heterogeneity across studies. The pooled prevalence rates of symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, and sleep disorders with 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed. Results This systematic review identified 217 studies which included 638,889 pregnant women or women who had just given birth. There were no studies reporting the mental health impact due to MERS and SARS. Results showed that women who were pregnant or had just given birth displayed various symptoms of poor mental health including those relating to depression (24.9%), anxiety (32.8%), stress (29.44%), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (27.93%), and sleep disorders (24.38%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion It is important to note that studies included in this review used a range of outcome measures which does not allow for direct comparisons between findings. Most studies reported self-reported measure of symptoms without clinical diagnoses so conclusions can be made for symptom prevalence rather than of mental illness. The importance of managing mental health during pregnancy and after-delivery improves the quality of life and wellbeing of mothers hence developing an evidence-based approached as part of pandemic preparedness would improve mental health during challenging times. Other The work presented in this manuscript was not funded by any specific grants. A study protocol was developed and published in PROSPERO (CRD42021235356) to explore several key objectives.

show abstract

“…] 2021 China 298 N/A 54 Mappa I [ 61. ] 2021 Italy 161 p < 0.0001 55 Mehdizadehkashi A [ 62. ] 2021 Iran 300 N/A 56 Yirmiya K [ 63.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…] China 298 2021 Anxiety,Depression N/A Mappa I [ 61. ] Italy 161 2021 Anxiety STAI-T,STAI-S Mehdizadehkashi A [ 62. ] Iran 300 2021 Anxiety self-designed questionnaire Yirmiya K [ 63.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of mental ill-health in women during pregnancy and after childbirth during the Covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

Delanerolle

McCauley

Hirsch

et al. 2023

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The pandemic created stress and anxiety in pregnant women, regardless of their infection status. 24 A recent study by Masters et al reported that 80% of pregnant women perceived increased symptoms of depression, and 88% had anxiety about the pandemic. 25 Multiple studies have confirmed that these psychological factors are associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth, unplanned operative delivery, low birth weight, younger gestational age, and increased neonatal morbidity and mortality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The COVID-19 pandemic created stress and anxiety in pregnant women, regardless of their infection status. 24 A recent study by Masters et al reported that 80% of pregnant women perceived increased symptoms of depression, and 88% had anxiety…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Well-Baby Nursery

Kocherlakota

Lin²,

Gill³

et al. 2021

Am J Perinatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with fewer deliveries and premature births; however, the impact of this pandemic on the well-baby nursery (WBN) is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infants admitted to the WBN by comparing pandemic and pre-pandemic cohorts. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective study of infants admitted to a WBN during the pandemic period (March 18, 2020-to-March 17, 2021) and compared them to those during the pre-pandemic period (March 18, 2019-to-March 17, 2020). Maternal (age, parity, gestation, method of delivery, and COVID-19 status) and neonatal (sex, weight, Apgar score, feeding pattern, urine toxicology, and neonatal intensive care unit [NICU] admission) data were collected and compared between the two periods. The results were statistically analyzed, and significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: There were 824 and 859 WBN admissions during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods, respectively; a 4% decrease in WBN admissions during the pandemic period. During the pandemic period, the number of deliveries among nulliparous women increased (from 40.3% to 45.1%; p=0.01), and deliveries among multiparous women decreased (from 59.2% to 53.1%; p=0.01). The number of infants exposed to marijuana in-utero increased (24/149 screened vs. 12/146 screened; p=0.038), and transfers from WBN to NICU decreased (from 9% to 6%; p=0.044) during the pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the number of WBN admissions, multiparous deliveries, and NICU admissions decreased, while the number of nulliparous deliveries and infants exposed to marijuana in-utero increased during the pandemic period.

show abstract

“…An analysis conducted by Mehdizadehkashi was dominated by respondents characterized by a high level of anxiety, of whom as many as 39% asked for an elective Cesarean section. In this same group, 86.4% of respondents felt frustrated because of the COVID-19 pandemic [ 38 ]. In the reports byMortazavi et al, the main predictor of pregnancy being concluded by Cesarean section was the pregnant woman’s fear of childbirth and the pain associated with it [ 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perinatal Anxiety among Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study

Iwanowicz-Palus

Mróz

Korda

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way prenatal education and obstetric care are provided. Pandemic-related anxiety, restrictions, limitations in perinatal care, and the inability to be accompanied by a loved one can have negative psychological consequences for future parents and their child. The aim of this study was to analyze the determinants and assess the anxiety of pregnant women in individual trimesters, as well as to learn about the sources of support and medical personnel proceeding methods. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted as a diagnostic survey, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Childbirth Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ), and a standardized interview questionnaire, on 534 pregnant women in Poland. Resultsand Conclusions: The pregnant women, regardless of the trimester of pregnancy, are characterized by: increased anxiety level influenced by the current epidemiological situation, psychophysical condition, previous maternal experiences, participation in classes preparing for childbirth, organization of perinatal care, their relationship with a partner, and the presence of a loved one during childbirth. A negative correlation was shown between the level of childbirth anxiety and maternal experience, as well as the support of a doctor and midwife.

show abstract

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress and Anxiety of Non-infected Pregnant Mothers

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

The prevalence of mental ill-health in women during pregnancy and after childbirth during the Covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

The prevalence of mental ill-health in women during pregnancy and after childbirth during the Covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Well-Baby Nursery

Perinatal Anxiety among Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About