The Impacts of Prenatal Mental Health Issues on Birth Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Zhao, Tianqi; Zuo, Hanxiao; Campbell, Sandy; Jhangri, Gian S.; Dobson, Keith S.; Li, Jessica Yijia; Premji, Shahirose; Tao, Fangbiao; Zhu, Beiwei; Yamamoto, Shelby

doi:10.3390/ijerph19137670

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Preterm birth rates have been shown to decrease for a variety of causes, including less physical activity during pregnancy, lessened stress related to work-life balance, decreased exposure to infection, fewer medical interventions, and increased hygiene and rest. Increases in premature birth rates may be caused by stress brought on by fear about the epidemic, difficulties with jobs or finances, homestays, and restricted maternity care [ 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 on Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Alhumaidan,

Alhabardi,

Aldharman

et al. 2023

Cureus

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Background: Pregnant women are regarded as a unique group due to the distinct immunological condition that pregnancy produces, which makes pregnant women more susceptible to respiratory infections like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its consequences. During pregnancy, many viral infections have been recognized to increase the risk of adverse obstetrical outcomes such as preterm delivery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19 infection on preterm birth in pregnant women in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Saudi Arabia between December 2019 to October 2021. The target subjects were pregnant women with live singleton gestations who underwent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19 infection during their delivery hospitalization. Data gathered included patient demographic information, clinical characteristics, and pregnancy outcomes. Data were analyzed using R version 4.1.1 (R Core Team (2021); R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). Results: A total of 381 pregnant women were included. The median maternal age of women was 31.0 years (IQR: 27.0, 35.0) and the median BMI value was 30.5 kg/m 2 (IQR: 26.9, 34.8). The most common comorbidities were diabetes (7.1%) and asthma (4.5%). A known history of preterm birth was prevalent among 2.9%. Of the participants, 13.6% had a prenatal COVID-19 infection, of whom 57.7% had their infections resolved. The prevalence of positive PCR testing was 13.6%. Preterm birth occurred in 46 women (12.1%, 95%CI 9.1-15.9). Preterm birth was significantly associated with having a maternal age of ≥35 years, having high frequencies of parity, and having a past history of preterm birth, as well as having a history of hypertension and diabetes. Preterm birth was not significantly associated with having a confirmed COVID-19 infection at delivery. Conclusion: It was shown that preterm birth is evident among women with COVID-19 infection. Preterm birth is significantly associated with old age, multiparity, and a history of preterm delivery. Preterm birth is not significantly associated with having a confirmed COVID-19 infection at delivery. More research regarding infection-related adverse effects is advised and should be highlighted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 on Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Alhumaidan,

Alhabardi,

Aldharman

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The extant research literature has not investigated whether SDoH and stress exert independent effects in pregnancy or whether stress mediates the association of SDoH with adverse birth outcomes. Moreover, little is known about the impact of prenatal maternal stress on outcomes during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Zhao et al., 2022). The current study was therefore undertaken to test and compare multidimensional models in which SDoH and prenatal stress have independent associations with birth outcome – namely, earlier delivery – or whether stress mediates the risk associated with SDoH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social determinants of health, prenatal maternal stress, and earlier birth during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Preis

Wang

Zhu

et al. 2023

Social & Personality Psych

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During the COVID‐19 pandemic, pregnant women, especially those from socioeconomically disadvantaged and marginalized groups, experienced unprecedented stress. Prenatal stress and social determinants of health (SDoH) such as lower education and lack of a relationship partner are known to contribute to earlier birth. However, whether SDoH and stress independently contribute or whether the harmful impact of SDoH is mediated by stress is unknown. Moreover, the contributions of these factors has not been investigated in the context of a communal health crisis such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. To examine these processes, we used a longitudinal cohort of 2473 women pregnant during the COVID‐19 pandemic who reported a live birth. We compared structural equation models predicting gestational age at birth from SDoH (race/ethnicity, education, financial security, health insurance, relationship status, and lifetime abuse) and from prenatal maternal stress related and unrelated to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Results indicate that the association of SDoH with earlier birth was partially mediated by prenatal stress. These findings help uncover mechanisms explaining health disparities in the U.S. and highlight the need to address both SDoH and the stress that these factors produce in under‐resourced and marginalized communities.

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The impact of prenatal mental health on birth outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Anhui, China

Zhao,

Jhangri,

Dobson

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Adverse birth outcomes remain challenging public health problems in China. Increasing evidence indicated that prenatal depression and anxiety are associated with adverse birth outcomes, highlighting the importance and severity of prenatal depression and anxiety in China. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to further exacerbate prenatal mental health problems and increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes. The aim of this study is to assess and compare the impacts of prenatal mental health issues on birth outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ma’anshan, Anhui, China. Participants in this study were women who visited local maternal and child health hospitals in Ma’anshan, Anhui, China. Two independent sets of individual maternal data (npre-pamdemic = 1148; npandemic = 2249) were collected. Prenatal depression and anxiety were measured online using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Adverse birth outcomes were determined using hospital-recorded infant birth weight and gestational age at delivery. In this study, we found that the pandemic cohort had lower mean EPDS and GAD-7 scores than the pre-pandemic cohort. The prevalence of prenatal depression (14.5%) and anxiety (26.7%) among the pandemic cohort were lower than the pre-pandemic cohort (18.6% and 36.3%). No significant difference was found in the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes comparing the two cohorts. Prenatal depression was associated with small gestational age only in the pandemic cohort (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.00–1.19, p = 0.042). Overall, this study highlighted an association between prenatal depression and small for gestational age in Anhui, China. Addressing prenatal depression may thus be key in improving birth outcomes. Future studies could focus on potential causal relationships.

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The Impacts of Prenatal Mental Health Issues on Birth Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Cited by 5 publications

References 15 publications

The Impact of COVID-19 on Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

The Impact of COVID-19 on Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Social determinants of health, prenatal maternal stress, and earlier birth during the COVID‐19 pandemic

The impact of prenatal mental health on birth outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Anhui, China

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