Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Romanian Women during Two Periods of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Postpartum depression is a major mental health disorder that can negatively affect both mother and baby. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic associated with extreme measures of the lockdown had profound effects on humanity, increasing the rates of anxiety and depression, especially among women in the postpartum period. The aim of this study was threefold: to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression, to compare the prevalence of postpartum depression at two different times during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess a possible association between the timing of childbirth in a given period of the pandemic and the risk of postpartum depression. A cross-sectional study involving 154 women who were interviewed immediately postpartum, using the EPDS scale, was conducted at the Timisoara Municipal Hospital, Romania at two different periods during the COVID-19 pandemic (March–April 2020 during the first wave and August–September 2021 during the fourth wave). The overall prevalence of postpartum depression (EPDS score > 13) was 18.8%, with a statistically significantly higher rate among participants surveyed during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania; the COVID-19 pandemic represents an impact on women’s mental health in the postpartum period, increasing the risk of developing postpartum depression.

Impact of COVID-19 on perinatal mental health among pregnant mothers infected with COVID-19, during the first wave of the epidemic in Jordan

“…This study found no significance for characteristics such as age, educational level, number of children, chronic illness, monthly income, having a work, having prenatal complications, or gestational age at the time of delivery. Similarly, Citu et al found no significance for characteristics such as age, education level, place of residence and type of birth, number of children, and sex of the infant, or pregnancy complications [ 28 ].…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of new mothers in China: A qualitative study of mothers with infants aged 0–1 year old

“…If an infant is infected, he or she may have a fever and a sore throat, especially since most infants under the age of 1 can only express pain by crying, which adds to the psychological burden on the mothers ( 55 ). At present, there have been studies that have found COVID-19 can trigger or exacerbate postnatal depression ( 56 , 57 ). However, most Chinese citizens are unaware of postnatal depression and do not usually seek psychological help in advance.…”

Two-years mothering into the pandemic: Impact of the three COVID-19 waves in the Argentinian postpartum women’s mental health

“…These results are consistent with previous research demonstrating higher prevalences of postpartum depression during pandemic phases with higher numbers of infections. For example, Citu et al [18] found that those women who gave birth during the fourth pandemic wave had a higher rate of depression than those from the first wave, being characterized by a difference of more than 17%. Similarly, Babicki et al [19] studied postpartum mental health during the first, second, and third waves, and found that anxiety and depressive symptoms increased as the pandemic progressed.…”