Postpartum mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based, repeated cross-sectional study

Abstract

Postpartum mental illness affects as many as 1 in 5 mothers, 1 and can result in maternal suffering and diminished functioning. 2 Related impaired mother-infant interactions are linked to poor social, cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children across their lifespan. 3 When mental illness becomes chronic and recurrent, its effects can extend to the entire family and across generations. 4 With emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the World Health Organization declared a global COVID-19 pandemic on Mar. 11, 2020. Globally, efforts to contain the virus have led to widespread travel restrictions, physical distancing and work limitations, causing broad social and financial disruption that has been associated with substantial mental health effects. 5,6 During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been reporting concerns about postpartum infection, 7 and difficulty accessing the extended postpartum social support networks and key community programs that protect against mental illness, such as home visits from public health nurses, breastfeeding clinics and support groups, owing to public health measures. 8 In Canadian surveys, about 50% of pregnant people reported psychological distress in spring 2020, 9 and alcohol use increased among women, particularly among those with young children. 10 Whether this represents an increased clinical burden of mental illness or need for care is unknown.Using routinely collected health care data from Ontario, Canada, (population of about 14.6 million), we aimed to examine RESEARCHMENTAL HEALTH

Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Human Reproduction: A Changing Perspective

“…Increases in the visit rates were higher for individuals' 0-90 days postpartum, which is the period of higher risk for postpartum mental illness. Postpartum individuals living in lower income neighborhoods showed smaller increases in visit rates, as was observed by Chmielewska et al in their study (38,39), reflecting the unequal access to health care according to income.…”

“…Similarly, a Canadian study on postpartum mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic showed an increased rate of mental health visits for postpartum individuals in 2020 than was expected for the period, especially from April to November (39). This was seen in both primary and psychiatrist care for anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders.…”

“COVID affected us all:” the birth and postnatal health experiences of resettled Syrian refugee women during COVID-19 in Canada

“…These stressors were coupled with feelings of disappointment and loss related to missed or robbed birth- and postnatal-related moments and milestones [ 14 , 16 , 19 ]. Studies with non-newcomer women have also found significant increases in postpartum anxiety [ 12 ] and depression symptoms [ 61 ] during the pandemic, in addition to a significant increase in healthcare visits for postpartum mental health concerns [ 62 ].…”

Mental Health in Obstetric Patients and Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“… 23 Vigod et al 24 suggest that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected parents who had newly delivered given the lack of support from their networks in the context of the government’s goal to contain the spread of the virus. In a sample of 1000 postpartum women in Ontario during the first 9 months of the pandemic, clinical visits for PMADs were significantly higher when compared with number of visits prepandemic 24 ; doctor visits for postpartum women increased by 30% during the pandemic when compared with a prepandemic sample. 24 Further, despite cultural differences, COVID-19-related stress, having less resilience, and reporting marital conflict were significantly associated with increased maternal mental health challenges in Italy, China, and The Netherlands.…”