2021
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.716488
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Depression and Anxiety in Mothers Who Were Pregnant During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Northern Italy: The Role of Pandemic-Related Emotional Stress and Perceived Social Support

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is a collective trauma that is threatening citizens' mental health resulting in increased emotional stress, reduced social support, and heightened risk for affective symptoms. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of antenatal pandemic-related emotional stress and perceived social support on the symptoms of depression and anxiety of mothers who were pregnant during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in northern Italy. A sample of 281 mothers was enrolled at eight maternity units i… Show more

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Cited by 45 publications
(50 citation statements)
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“…Different from the potential risk for mental health among participants with a high direct and indirect COVID-19 exposure that we had envisaged, SARS-CoV-2 infection and residence in a high COVID-19 diffusion area were not associated with psychological distress, either among pregnant women or among those after childbirth, in agreement with previous international [ 23 ] and national findings [ 37 ]. It should be mentioned that the BSI-18 only collects information over the last week and that the timing of the infection was not available; therefore, we were not able to exclude high distress in the immediacy of the infection.…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 89%
“…Different from the potential risk for mental health among participants with a high direct and indirect COVID-19 exposure that we had envisaged, SARS-CoV-2 infection and residence in a high COVID-19 diffusion area were not associated with psychological distress, either among pregnant women or among those after childbirth, in agreement with previous international [ 23 ] and national findings [ 37 ]. It should be mentioned that the BSI-18 only collects information over the last week and that the timing of the infection was not available; therefore, we were not able to exclude high distress in the immediacy of the infection.…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 89%
“…In fact, the fear of contagion and for the health of the child, the difficulty in promptly accessing to health care system due to the COVID-19 restrictive measures, as well as the poor availability in being supported by own partner and/or family members during the hospitalization for the delivery may represent all factors which may have determined increased depressive and anxious symptoms in women during the peripartum period ( 67 , 70 , 72 , 78 ). The increased levels of COVID-19 anxiety seems to be related to specific concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 on maternal health, fetal/neonatal health, vertical transmission of COVID-19 infection from mother to fetus and worries regarding the potential separation and social distancing from family and social relationships during the perinatal period due to quarantine measures ( 67 , 79 , 80 ). In fact, the most critical fears and worries experienced by pregnant and postpartum women regard the possibility of family members to be not present during the perinatal period, during the hospitalization, labor and childbirth while restriction policies in hospital settings are in place ( 31 , 81 ).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Global studies have noted a rise in anxiety relative to pre-pandemic levels, including an increase in sadness and anxiety among pregnant women and their spouses [ 22 ]. We observed no significant difference in health-related quality of life between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups of women in terms of their mental health and psychological well-being.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%