Mental Health &amp; Parental Concerns during COVID-19: The Experiences of New Mothers Amidst Social Isolation

Ollivier, Rachel; Aston, Megan; Price, Sheri; Sim, Meaghan; Benoit, Britney; Joy, Phillip; Iduye, Damilola; Nassaji, Neda Akbari

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2020.102902

Cited by 71 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Contrarily, the number of children having chronic disease are non-significant ( p > 0.05). Considering that the number of children from previous studies [ 40 , 41 , 42 ] is known to have a significant impact on adults’ mental health, we keep the number of children under the age of 18 in the ordinal regression model.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Brazil during COVID-19

Zhang

Huang

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil is extremely severe, and Brazil has the third-highest number of cases in the world. The goal of the study is to identify the prevalence rates and several predictors of depression and anxiety in Brazil during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. We surveyed 482 adults in 23 Brazilian states online on 9–22 May 2020, and found that 70.3% of the adults (n = 339) had depressive symptoms and 67.2% (n = 320) had anxiety symptoms. The results of multi-class logistic regression models revealed that females, younger adults, and those with fewer children had a higher likelihood of depression and anxiety symptoms; adults who worked as employees were more likely to have anxiety symptoms than those who were self-employed or unemployed; adults who spent more time browsing COVID-19 information online were more likely to have depression and anxiety symptoms. Our results provide preliminary evidence and early warning for psychiatrists and healthcare organizations to better identify and focus on the more vulnerable sub-populations in Brazil during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Brazil during COVID-19

Zhang

Huang

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Women are disproportionally being impacted with significant impacts on childcare and their physical health (Connor et al, 2020). During the pandemic, there have been reports of increases in the rates of postpartum anxiety and depression (Davenport et al, 2020;Lebel et al, 2020;Ollivier et al, 2020;Wu et al, 2020). Previous work has shown the importance of social support in the postpartum transition in developing parenting self-efficacy (Leahy-Warren, 2005;Leahy-Warren et al, 2012) and decreasing postpartum anxiety and depression (Hetherington et al, 2018).…”

Section: Canada: a Mixed Methods Cohort Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the postpartum experience of women living in Eastern Canada: A mixed method cohort study

Dol

Richardson

Aston

et al. 2021

Preprint

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ObjectivesTo (1) compare changes in self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression in Canadian women collected before (Cohort 1) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Cohort 2); (2) explore the women felt related to having a newborn during the pandemic; and (3) explore ways that women coped.MethodsPrior to the pandemic (October 1, 2019-January 1, 2020), an online survey was conducted with women had given birth within the past six months in one of the three Eastern Canadian Maritime provinces (Cohort 1). A second, similar survey was conducted between August 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020 (Cohort 2) during a period of provincial pandemic response to COVID-19.ResultsFor Cohort 1, 561 women completed the survey and 331 women in Cohort 2. Cohorts were similar in terms of age of women, parity, and age of newborn. There were no significant differences for self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety, and depression between the cohorts. Difficulties that women reported as a result of COVID-19 restrictions included lack of support from family and friends, fear of COVID-19 exposure, feeling isolated and uncertain, negative impact on perinatal care experience, and hospital restrictions. Having support from partners and families, in-person/virtual support, as well as self-care and the low prevalence of COVID-19 during the summer of 2020 helped women cope.ConclusionWhile there was no significant difference in pre-pandemic and during pandemic psychosocial outcomes, there were still challenges and negative impacts that women identified. Consideration of vulnerable populations is important when making public health recommendations.What is already known on this subject?Previous work has shown the importance of social support in the postpartum transition in developing parenting self-efficacy and decreasing postpartum anxiety and depression. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s mental health, particularly during the perinatal period, has seen an increases in rates of postpartum anxiety and depression.What this study adds?This study is able to compare self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety and depression between two cohorts of postpartum women living in Eastern Canada – pre-COVID-19 pandemic and during. While there was no significant difference in pre-pandemic and during pandemic psychosocial outcomes, there were still challenges and negative impacts that women identified.

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“…Increased rates of depressive symptoms and anxiety, extreme loneliness, isolation, and exhaustion have been reported. 11,12,14,17,19 Opportunities to share their infant's milestones and connect with other parents has largely been restricted to online platforms. 19 Some women have described feeling fearful around exposing their babies to COVID-19.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“COVID Affected Us All:” The Birth and Postnatal Health Experiences of Resettled Syrian Refugee Women During COVID-19 in Canada

Cameron

Ramos

Aston

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Prior to COVID-19, postnatal resettled refugee women in Canada reported barriers to healthcare and low levels of social support, contributing to maternal health morbidities. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be further exacerbating health inequities for marginalized populations—yet the experiences of resettled refugee women are not fully known. Aim: To understand Syrian refugee women’s experiences accessing postnatal healthcare services and supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with eight resettled Syrian refugee women living in Nova Scotia (Canada) who were postnatal between March and August 2020. Data analysis was informed by constructivist grounded theory. Findings: Three themes emerged: “the impacts of COVID-19 on postnatal healthcare;” “loss of informal support;” and “grief and anxiety.” Women experienced difficult healthcare interactions, including socially and physically isolated deliveries, challenges accessing in-person interpreters, and cancelled or unavailable in-home services (e.g., public health nurse and doula visits). Increased childcare responsibilities and limited informal supports due to pandemic restrictions left women feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Stay-at-home orders resulted in some women reporting feelings of isolation and loss, as they were unable to share in person postnatal moments with friends and family, ultimately impacting their mental wellness. Conclusions: COVID-19 and associated public health restrictions had significant impacts on postnatal Syrian refugee women. Data presented in this study demonstrated the ways in which the pandemic environment and related restrictions amplified pre-existing barriers to care and postnatal health inequalities for resettled refugee women—particularly a lack of postnatal informal supports and systemic barriers to care.

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Mental Health & Parental Concerns during COVID-19: The Experiences of New Mothers Amidst Social Isolation

Cited by 71 publications

References 48 publications

Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Brazil during COVID-19

Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Brazil during COVID-19

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the postpartum experience of women living in Eastern Canada: A mixed method cohort study

“COVID Affected Us All:” The Birth and Postnatal Health Experiences of Resettled Syrian Refugee Women During COVID-19 in Canada

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