Giving Birth in Unpredictable Conditions: Association between Parents’ COVID-19 Related Concerns, Family Functioning, Dyadic Coping, Perceived Social Support and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Background: The way postpartum parents’ COVID-19-related concerns are associated with the family environment, support resources and depressive symptoms areunder-investigated. Methods: Two hundred and forty-three new parents (132 mothers, 111 fathers) completed self-report questionnaires within an 8-week period after birth. Parental concerns for COVID-19-related life changes were assessed with the COVID-19 Questionnaire, perceived social support with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, perceived family functioning with the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV Package, dyadic coping behaviors with the Dyadic Coping Inventory and maternal/paternal postnatal depression with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: (a) Higher levels of COVID-19-related concerns about daily life were associated with lower levels of family communication, satisfaction and increased depressive symptomatology in both parents, and with lower levels of family functioning in mothers; (b) Maternal health care COVID-19-related concerns were linked with lower levels of family communication, lower perceived social support and with an increase in maternal depressive symptoms; and (c) COVID-19-related concerns about neonate hospitalization were associated with increased maternal depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Τhese findings suggest that COVID-19-related concerns had a common negative effect on both postpartum mothers’ and fathers’ mental health and on certain aspects of family functioning.

Maternal Childhood Maltreatment, Internal Working Models, and Perinatal Substance Use: Is There a Role for Hyperkatifeia? A Systematic Review

“…[49][50][51][52] More generally, the perinatal period is a stressful time and supportive interpersonal relationships are critical for new parents, putting parents who lack these supports and who use substances at greater risk for hyperkatifeia. [53][54][55][56][57] Thus, understanding the specific impact of hyperkatifeia in mothers whose emotional dysregulation and tonic negative affect pre-dated their substance use is critical for two reasons: (1) it can provide a window into the way that negative reinforcement, reward deficit, and stress surfeit processes act on the maternal brain; and (2) in understanding these reward deficits, we may determine how the presence of "natural rewards" like one's infant or an increased sense of parenting competency can motivate the path to recovery and enhance engagement in substance use treatment.…”