Introduction:The fact that little is yet known about the possible implications of COVID-19 for pregnancy, puts pregnant women at greater risk of heightened anxiety and psychological distress. In this study, we sought to explore the psychological distress and COVID-19-related anxiety of pregnant women during the crisis. Methods: Israeli Jewish and Arab pregnant women (n = 336) aged 20-47 completed a set of questionnaires during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Results:The levels of all COVID-19-related anxieties were quite high (much or very much), with the highest regarding public places and transportation (87.5%, 70%, respectively), followed by concerns over the possible infection of other family members and the health of the foetus (71.7%, 70%, respectively), going for pregnancy checkups (68.7%,), being infected themselves, and the delivery (59.2%, 55.4%, respectively). Although COVID-19-related anxieties were shared by pregnant women characterised by diverse sociodemographic variables, with very small nuances, Arab women were more anxious about each of the issues than Jewish women. Discussion: Our findings highlight the importance of assessing anxiety and distress in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the need to be attentive to the double stress of pregnant women in times of crisis and to the potential vulnerability of subgroups, such as cultural minorities.

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The study examined two angles of childbirth anxieties of Jewish and Arab pregnant women in Israel during the COVID‐19 pandemic (March‐April, 2020). Specifically, we examined the contribution of personal resources: self‐compassion and perceived social support, as well as a couple of COVID‐19‐related fears of being infected and concern for the foetus, to both the woman's global fear of childbirth (FOC) and her COVID‐19‐related childbirth anxiety. Participants were Jewish and Arab pregnant women ( n = 403) aged 20–47, who completed a set of structured self‐report questionnaires from 18 March to 9 April 2020. Findings indicated that Arab women reported higher level of COVID‐19‐related childbirth anxiety and COVID‐19‐related fears of being infected and concern for the foetus. In addition, poorer health, being an Arab woman, being in the third trimester, lower self‐compassion, and higher COVID‐19‐related fears contributed significantly to greater COVID‐19‐related childbirth anxiety. Furthermore, poorer health, being primiparous, at‐risk pregnancy, lower self‐compassion and higher fear of being infected contributed significantly to greater FOC. Importantly, social support was found to moderate the association between self‐compassion and FOC. The results highlight the need to be attentive to pregnant women in times of crisis, and in particular to especially vulnerable subgroups, such as cultural minorities. They also highlight the importance of personal resources that may be applied in targeted interventions to reduce distress in vulnerable populations.

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Objective: The study sought to examine the psychological distress of Israeli pregnant women during the worldwide spread of COVID-19. As Israel has a diverse cultural-religious population, the sample included both Jewish and Arab women, allowing us to explore the differences between them. Furthermore, we examined the contribution of personal resources, both internal (self-mastery and resilience) and external (perceived social support), as well as the level of infection-related anxiety to the women's psychological distress. Method: A convenience sample of 403 Israeli women (233 Jewish and 170 Arab) was recruited through social media. Results: Arab women reported significantly higher infection-related anxiety and psychological distress than Jewish women. In addition, Jewish women reported significantly higher self-mastery than Arab pregnant women. Finally, poorer health, being an Arab woman, and lower levels of self-mastery, resilience, and perceived social support, as well as a higher level of infection-related anxiety, contributed significantly to greater psychological distress. Conclusions: The findings show that pregnant women in general may be at risk of psychological distress in times of crisis, and that minority populations in particular may be at greater risk than others. Moreover, the results highlight the contribution of women's personal and environmental resources in the face of crisis, an understanding that may be used in targeted interventions to reduce distress in vulnerable populations.