Association between depressive symptoms in the postpartum period and COVID-19: A meta-analysis

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

“…The findings from this study are consistent with a growing body of evidence which shows that Covid-19 had a negative impact on perinatal mental health. Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported pooled prevalence estimates between 17% (95% CI: 10–24%) and 34% (95% CI: 21–46%) for postnatal depression during the pandemic, 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 and our prevalence estimate in the 2020 survey is in line with these figures. The majority of reviews conducted during the pandemic indicate significantly higher prevalence of postnatal depression compared to pre-pandemic rates of 17–18% 17 , 18 which is also consistent with our findings.…”

“…Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported prevalence of postnatal depression during the pandemic, with pooled estimates ranging from 17% to 34%. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 Most of these reviews have indicated higher rates of postnatal depression during the pandemic, 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 compared to pre-pandemic rates (global pooled prevalence 17–18%), 17 , 18 although not all have reported statistically significant differences. 15 , 16 The studies included in reviews conducted before and during the pandemic are highly variable in terms of target population, sampling methods, and mental health measures, and this heterogeneity makes it difficult to pool and compare prevalence estimates reliably, and therefore to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 on postnatal depression.…”

Study characteristical and regional influences on postpartum depression before vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Our study found an increase of PPDS during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Asia ( I 2 = 0%), while studies conducted in Europe and North America showed no significant increase of PPDS prevalence ( Figure 7 ). One recent meta-analysis that found an increased PPDS prevalence during the COVID-19 over the world with high heterogeneity ( I 2 = 95%) ( 21 ). No further subgroups analysis were conducted in this meta-analysis ( 21 ).…”

“…One recent meta-analysis that found an increased PPDS prevalence during the COVID-19 over the world with high heterogeneity ( I 2 = 95%) ( 21 ). No further subgroups analysis were conducted in this meta-analysis ( 21 ). Furthermore, the high heterogeneity between studies that may negatively affect the accuracy of the result.…”

“…Hessami et al ( 20 ) evaluated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the depression of women during pregnancy and the perinatal period through meta-analysis and found that the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have no significant influence on the diagnosis of depressive symptoms. Yet, only limited studies have compared the negative effect from the COVID-19 pandemic to postpartum women ( 21 ). Therefore, the goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of PPDS by comparing the data from the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic timeframes, and exploring possible influencing factors from different subgroups of study characteristics and regions.…”