Maternal psychological distress &amp; mental health service use during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cameron, Emily E.; Joyce, Kayla M.; Delaquis, Chantal P.; Reynolds, Kristin; Protudjer, Jennifer L. P.; Roos, Leslie E.

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.081

Cited by 364 publications

(426 citation statements)

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“…Specifically, previous studies on Italian women found higher level of anxiety symptoms (Saccone et al, 2020) along with increased concerns and fears about childbirth (Ravaldi et al, 2020) among pregnant women. Moreover, international studies found greater rates of depression, anxiety and stress among mothers of infants and young babies (Cameron et al, 2020). Considering these preliminary results, we can hypothesize that pregnant and postpartum women are at greater risk of developing anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic symptoms.…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 74%

“…It is within such framework that the association between fathers' commuting to work and mothers' anxiety can be understood: those women whose partners continued working regularly during lockdown showed a greater likelihood of suffering from state anxiety as they could not count on their daily support and they were constantly exposed to the risk of being infected thus adding an element of uncertainty and stress to an, already stressful, situation. In this respect, previous studies have demonstrated that women were extremely worried about themselves, their babies or one of their loved ones being infected with the virus and this resulted in an increased stress and fear (Cameron et al, 2020;Saccone et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Motherhood in the Time of Coronavirus: The Impact of the Pandemic Emergency on Expectant and Postpartum Women’s Psychological Well-Being

2020

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The birth of a child is a critical and potentially stressful experience for women, entailing several changes both at the individual and interpersonal level. This event can lead to different forms of distress, ranging in intensity and duration. Many studies highlighted medical, psychological, and social variables as risk factors potentially influencing the onset or aggravation of perinatal maternal conditions. The current pandemic emergency and the restrictive measures adopted by local governments to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection may negatively affect mothers-to-be and new mothers potentially increasing the likelihood of anxiety, depressive or post-traumatic symptoms to develop. Moreover, the forced quarantine combined with the limited access to professional or family support may increase feelings of fatigue and isolation. The present study aims to investigate women's psychological well-being during pregnancy and in the first months after childbirth, integrating the evaluation of some traditionally studied variables with the specificities of the current situation. 575 Italian women have been administered an online self-report questionnaire assessing the presence of anxiety disorders, depressive and post-traumatic symptoms as well as the expectations toward childbirth (for mothersto-be) or the subjective experience of childbirth (for postpartum women). Findings revealed a higher percentage of women than that reported in the literature scored above the clinical cutoff both during pregnancy and postpartum on a series of measures of psychological well-being, thus demonstrating that this period was perceived as particularly challenging and stressful and had significant impact on the women's wellbeing. Moreover, some socio-demographic, medical, and pandemic-related variables, especially the lack of presence and support from one's partner during labor and delivery as well as in the first days postpartum was found to predict women's mental health. These findings suggest the need for developing specific interventions targeted at women who cannot benefit from the support of their partners or family.

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Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motherhood in the Time of Coronavirus: The Impact of the Pandemic Emergency on Expectant and Postpartum Women’s Psychological Well-Being

2020

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“…Well-established relationships between anxiety and substance use have been identified (Battista, Stewart, & Ham, 2010;Buckner, Heimberg, Ecker, & Vinci, 2013;Burke & Stephens, 1999;Carrigan & Randall, 2003), such that individuals with an anxiety disorder have over a 6-fold increase in reporting drug dependence (Grant et al, 2004). From a public health perspective, it is imperative that we intervene to address maternal anxiety which is elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic (Cameron et al, 2020) to prevent possible increases in maternal substance use. Such interventions may include best-practice psychotherapeutic techniques to treat anxiety disorders, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (Bandelow, Michaelis, & Wedekind, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in females experiencing over a 2fold increase in stress (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2020). Females parenting young children further report significantly elevated levels of anxious and depressive symptoms compared to pre-pandemic levels (Cameron et al, 2020). The increase in stress and mental health problems creates concern regarding coping mechanisms.…”

Section: Changes In Maternal Substance Use During the Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From April 14 th to 28 th , 2020, participants completed an online survey as part of a larger study on parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. As described in previous publications with this study (Cameron et al, 2020), participants were recruited through social media platforms (e.g., online advertisements, poster sharing) and local news interviews. To meet eligibility, participants had to identify as a mother ≥18 years old who had a child aged 0 to 8.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in Maternal Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Joyce¹,

Ee²,

Sulymka³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Maternal stress levels and mental health symptoms have significantly increased since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began. As a result, experts have become concerned about elevated substance use given well-known associations between negative emotions and increased substance use. Extant research has not examined substance use among mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic which is a critical next step given links between maternal substance use and adverse childhood outcomes. Methods: Data was collected April 14th to 28th, 2020 from 508 mothers (Mage = 34.8 years, SD = 5.1) with young children between the ages of 0 to 8 years old via the Parenting During the Pandemic study. To identify associations between self-reported changes in substance use, mothers completed self-reported questionnaires on their substance use, motivations for using substances, and their mental health. Results: Of participating mothers, 54.9% did not change their substance use, 39.2% increased their use, and 5.9% decreased their use. Findings indicate that mothers with an anxiety disorder or clinically relevant anxiety symptomatology were more likely to report increased substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using substances to cope with anxiety, but not depression or boredom, was significantly elevated among mothers who self-reported increased substance use during the pandemic relative to those reporting no change to or a decrease in usage. Using substances to cope with anxiety was a risk factor for increasing substance use. Discussion: A large proportion of mothers have reported increasing their substance use since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results highlight the crucial need to treat maternal anxiety and the importance of teaching mothers alternative coping strategies, other than using substances, to reduce the incidence of increased substance use among mothers and its negative sequelae.

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Pandemic stressors and vaccine hesitancy among young, pregnant Black people: A qualitative study of health disparities during a global pandemic

De Genna,

Hossain,

Dwarakanath

et al. 2023

Birth Defects Research

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BackgroundThe novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic exacerbated existing health inequities in the United States, but no studies have focused on the lived experiences of younger Black birthing people. The goal of this qualitative study was to center the experiences of younger pregnant and birthing Black and Biracial people during the pandemic.MethodsWe recruited 25 Black and Biracial pregnant and birthing people ages 16–23 for individual semi‐structured interviews. Participants were asked about experiences with the healthcare system during the pandemic, and interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded for qualitative analysis using nVivo. We adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines.ResultsParticipants identified pandemic‐related stressors such as fears about infection, lack of support, and pressure to get vaccinated. Reasons for vaccine hesitancy included mistrust in the government and racism experienced during reproductive healthcare. Provider appeals highlighting patient autonomy and science were more effective in encouraging vaccine uptake than emotional appeals that made participants feel guilty about potentially infecting loved ones.ConclusionsRestrictions on children and support people created barriers to timely prenatal care and reduced tangible support for young Black and Biracial birthing people during the pandemic. Their vaccine hesitancy was related to mistrust, concerns that the vaccines had not been tested enough prior to roll‐out, and possible side effects of the vaccine including infection with the virus and pregnancy loss. Obstetric providers need to understand and recognize the ongoing impact of obstetric and scientific racism on health communication with younger Black and Biracial patients.

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Maternal psychological distress & mental health service use during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 364 publications

References 50 publications

Motherhood in the Time of Coronavirus: The Impact of the Pandemic Emergency on Expectant and Postpartum Women’s Psychological Well-Being

Motherhood in the Time of Coronavirus: The Impact of the Pandemic Emergency on Expectant and Postpartum Women’s Psychological Well-Being

Changes in Maternal Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pandemic stressors and vaccine hesitancy among young, pregnant Black people: A qualitative study of health disparities during a global pandemic

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