Mental Health of Pregnant and Postpartum Women During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nair

Gynecol Obstet Reprod Med

et al. 2021

OBJECTIVE: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is causing widespread concern, fear, stress, anxiety, and depression throughout the population worldwide. Pregnant women, being a vulnerable group, are grossly affected by these changing environmental scenarios. The spread of Corona Virus infection itself and the subsequent nation-wide lockdown in India, just like many other countries, has caused a serious impact on antenatal patients. The objective of this study was to bring out the specific concerns of pregnant women during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and also to assess the prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Disorder owing to the pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional survey among antenatal patients was conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care obstetric center which is also a designated COVID hospital. Prevalidated questionnaires, Personal Health Questionnaire-9 & Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire-7 were used for data collection. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to evaluate pregnancy-specific concerns of the patients with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of moderate to severe depression in the survey was found to be 13.2% (n=66). The prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety disorder was found to be 9.8% (n=49). CONCLUSION: This study has brought out the need for urgent attention to the psychological impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women. Pregnant women being a vulnerable group, especially during this pandemic, need special attention to their psychological wellbeing as well.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Pregnancy-Specific Concerns and Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Antenatal Women

Nair

Gynecol Obstet Reprod Med

et al. 2021

“…The psychological and social consequences of lockdown can be devastating for high-risk populations, such as pregnant women [14]. The prevalence rates of anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and insomnia among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic have been documented to be as high as 37% (95% confidence interval (CI): 25-49%), 31% (95% CI: 20-42%), 70% (95% CI: 60-79%), and 49% (95% CI: 46-52%), respectively [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Perceived Stress in Postpartum Mexican Women during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Suárez-Rico

Estrada-Gutiérrez

Sánchez-Martínez

et al. 2021

IJERPH

The COVID-19 lockdown represents a new challenge for mental health researchers and clinical practitioners. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress in postpartum Mexican women. The study included 293, 4–12-week postpartum women over the age of 18. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), Trait-State Trait Anxiety Inventory (T-STAI), and Ten Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), which are all questionnaires validated for the Mexican population, were applied using a web-based online survey. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the maternal age was 29.9 ± 6.3 years; the EPDS score: 11 ± 6, T-STAI score: 41.7 ± 12.3, and PSS-10 score: 17.1 ± 7. The prevalence (95% CI) of the postpartum depression symptoms was 39.2% (34–45%), trait anxiety symptoms were found among 46.1% (32–43%) of the participants, and moderate and high perceived stress were in 58% (52–64) and 10.9% (7.8–15) of the participants, respectively. The prevalence of depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, and perceived stress was higher among postpartum Mexican women during the COVID-19 outbreak than before the lockdown. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring perinatal mental health during pandemics and the need to design effective psychologic interventions for these patients.

“…As per previous reports, women are much more vulnerable to stress (46) and showed significantly higher emotional distress than men in isolation during the threat of COVID-19 (47). Yan et al (48) launched a meta-analysis and revealed the prevalence rates of ANDP during the COVID-19 pandemic are significantly higher than those in the general population (48). Besides, a current longitudinal study across racial and ethnic groups of women during the prenatal and postpartum periods showed that depressive and anxiety symptoms were higher during COVID-19 relative to pre-COVID-19.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Cerebral Regional Homogeneity Alternation of Pregnant Women With Antenatal Depression During the Pandemic

et al. 2021

Purpose: The COVID-19 epidemic has been a threat to the health of people all over the world. Various precautions during COVID-19 in China have kept a large number of people in isolation, and this has inconvenienced and placed enormous stress on pregnant women. Pregnant women are more likely to suffer from antenatal depression (ANDP) with social isolation or low social support. This research aims to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying ANDP, which impedes early detection and intervention in this disorder.Methods: A total of 43 singleton pregnant women who experienced isolation were recruited, including 21 treatment-naïve ANDP patients and 22 healthy pregnant women (HPW). To explore the intrinsic cerebral activity alternations in ANDP using resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI), we assessed the local regional homogeneity (ReHo) differences in two groups using the voxel-based whole-brain analysis. The correlation between the regional functional abnormalities and clinical variables in ANDP patients was also examined.Results: Compared with HPW, ANDP patients showed decreased ReHo in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right insular and the cluster coving the right ventral temporal cortex (VTC), amygdala (AMG), and hippocampus (HIP). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores of ANDP patients negatively correlated with the ReHo in the right VTC, AMG, and HIP.Conclusion: Elucidating the neurobiological features of ANDP patients during COVID-19 is crucial for evolving adequate methods for early diagnosis, precaution, and intervention in a future epidemic.