The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on women's perinatal mental health: a systematic review

Wall, Stephanie; Dempsey, Maria

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2022.06.005

Cited by 32 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 61 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The lack of differences found for women with or without other children indicates the importance of uplifting feelings about pregnancy, regardless of whether women are transitioning into motherhood or already have parenting experience. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new stressors for pregnant women (Kolker et al, 2021;Wall and Dempsey, 2022), but our data suggest that there might also be some pandemic-related benefits, which, to our knowledge, have not been studied previously. In our sample, women who focused more on these pandemic-related uplifts than hassles were more positive, less lonely, and less depressed/anxious.…”

Section: Positivity and Pregnancy Enjoymentmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…Though negative feelings during pregnancy have been extensively studied and are a robust area of pandemic-related research, far less focus has been placed on positive feelings during pregnancy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic clearly introduced new and acute stressors (Wall and Dempsey, 2022), but there may also be some pandemic-related benefits, which have not yet been studied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Pregnant in a Pandemic: Connecting Perceptions of Uplifts and Hassles to Mental Health

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How women experience pregnancy as uplifting or a hassle is related to their mental and physical health and birth outcomes. Pregnancy during a pandemic introduces new hassles, but may offer benefits that could affect how women perceive their pregnancy. Surveying 118 ethnically and racially diverse pregnant women, we explore (1) women’s traditional and pandemic-related pregnancy uplifts and hassles and (2) how these experiences of pregnancy relate to their feelings of loneliness, positivity, depression, and anxiety. Regressions show that women who experience more intense feelings of uplifts than hassles also feel more positive, less lonely, and have better mental health. Findings suggest that focusing on positive aspects of being pregnant, in general and during a pandemic, might be beneficial for pregnant women’s mental health.

show abstract

Section: Positivity and Pregnancy Enjoymentmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnant in a Pandemic: Connecting Perceptions of Uplifts and Hassles to Mental Health

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This study adds to the growing literature on perinatal experiences during COVID-19, which show a significant rise in perinatal mental health difficulties experienced by those who gave birth during the first UK lockdown [ 15 , 16 ]. Participants within our study experienced feelings of powerlessness and helplessness in the context of the pandemic, disruption to their roles as partners and expectant parents, and dissonance in their perceptions of hospitals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“We Should Be Working Together, and It Felt like They Disrupted That”: Pregnant Women and Partners’ Experiences of Maternity Care in the First UK COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Keely

Greenfield

Darwin

2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pregnant women were identified as being at elevated risk from COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Certain restrictions were placed upon birth partners accompanying their pregnant partner to in-person maternity consultations and for in-patient maternity care. In the absence of a central directive in England, the nature of restrictions varied across maternity services. Eleven participants (seven pregnant women and four partners), who were expectant parents during the first UK COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, took part in serial interviews in pregnancy and the postnatal period. Data were subject to a reflexive thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified, with sub-themes: uncertainty and anxiety (uncertainty and anxiety about COVID-19, uncertainty and anxiety about maternity services); disruption of partnering and parenting role; complexity around entering hospital spaces (hospitals offering protection while posing threat, individual health professionals in inflexible systems); and attempting to feel in control. Separating couples may result in disruption to their anticipated roles and significant distress to both partners, with potential impacts for mental health and future family relationships. Trauma-informed perspectives are relevant for understanding parents’ experiences of maternity care in the pandemic and identifying ways to improve care to promote and protect the mental health of all parents.

show abstract

“…All mental illnesses increased during the pandemic, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders (6)(7)(8)(9). This increase was prominent in women.…”

Section: Mental and Physical Health During The Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Health in Post-COVID Era: A Report from the 11th International Conference on Women’s Health

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on women's perinatal mental health: a systematic review

Cited by 32 publications

References 61 publications

Pregnant in a Pandemic: Connecting Perceptions of Uplifts and Hassles to Mental Health

Pregnant in a Pandemic: Connecting Perceptions of Uplifts and Hassles to Mental Health

“We Should Be Working Together, and It Felt like They Disrupted That”: Pregnant Women and Partners’ Experiences of Maternity Care in the First UK COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Women’s Health in Post-COVID Era: A Report from the 11th International Conference on Women’s Health

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About