The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 among Women Accessing Family Care Centers during Pregnancy and the Postnatal Period in Italy

Lega, Ilaria; Bramante, Alessandra; Lauria, Laura; Grussu, Pietro; Dubini, Valeria; Falcieri, Marcella; Ghiani, Maria Carmen; Giordano, Antonia; Guidomei, Stefania; Mignuoli, Anna Domenica; Paris, Serena; Bettinelli, Maria Enrica; Proietti, Patrizia Casagrande; Andreozzi, Silvia; Brenna, Valeria; Bucciarelli, Mauro; Martelli, Gabriella; Ferraro, Claudio; Torrisi, Melissa; Carrozzino, Danilo; Donati, Serena

doi:10.3390/ijerph19041983

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…As the COPE-IS was developed in response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, psychometric information is not yet available (Thomason et al, 2022). However, it has been used in previous studies (Kinser et al, 2021;Lega et al, 2022;Saleh et al, 2022). The main question asked to the participants was What are you doing to cope with your stress related to the COVID-19 outbreak?…”

Section: Covid-19 Coping Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of lifestyles to cope with stress over mental health in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic affected daily life routines and lifestyles of pregnant and postpartum women and increased their stress and risk of suffering from mental health problems. The aim of this study was to analyse which sociodemographic variables, COVID-19 exposure variables and lifestyles to cope with stress variables predicted anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional design was performed with a sample of 3356 Spanish women participating in the Riseup-PPD-COVID-19 study. These participants completed an online survey composed of measures of anxiety (GAD-7), depression (EPDS), and PTSD related to COVID-19 (Checklist DSM-5), as well as demographics, exposure to COVID-19, and lifestyles to cope with stress. Regarding results, 47.2% showed depression and a third reported anxiety, whereas moderate scores were observed in PTSD symptoms. The most commonly used strategies to cope with stress in the COVID-19 pandemic were talking with friends and family and increasing time with social networks. Better results in mental health were associated with coping strategies such as talking with family and friends or participating in family activities, physical activity, sleeping well at night, eating healthier, and increasing personal care. Furthermore, poor results in mental health were observed in those participants who increased time with screens, ate fast food, reported substance use, and talked more frequently with health professionals. More symptoms were also observed in younger women, primiparous women, and those who reported more exposure to COVID-19. The results underline the need to strengthen the mental health of pregnant and postpartum women. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04595123.

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Section: Covid-19 Coping Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of lifestyles to cope with stress over mental health in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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“…Accordingly, we asked to what extent stress levels were increased by the COVID-19 pandemic, although it cannot be ruled out that other factors contributed to a subjectively increased sense of stress during that period of time. We used a questionnaire from the international COVGEN initiative that remains to be validated 29 37 . A reference value for the perception of stress is therefore not available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Entsprechend wurde erfragt, inwiefern das Stresslevel durch die COVID-19-Pandemie erhöht ist, wobei nicht ausgeschlossen werden kann, dass andere Faktoren zu einem subjektiv erhöhtem Stressempfinden beigetragen haben. Es wurde ein Fragebogen der internationalen COVGEN-Initiative verwendet, welcher bisher noch nicht validiert werden konnte 29 37 . Ein Referenzwert für das Stressempfinden steht daher nicht zur Verfügung.…”

Section: Diskussionunclassified

COVID-19 and Perinatal Stress Experience – a Study Conducted as Part of the COVGEN Initiative

Kentschke

Bauer

Moser

et al. 2022

Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd

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Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress and anxiety in the population increased due to concerns about people’s own health and that of their relatives, as well as changes in everyday life due to measures taken to reduce the infection rate. Pregnant women are particularly stressed. The present study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the stress experience and mental health of pregnant women and mothers of newborns and how care could be optimized. Methods As part of the international COVGEN initiative (https://www.covgen.org) to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the peripartum period, pregnant and postpartum women were asked about their experience with stress using the COPE-IS (Coronavirus Perinatal Experiences – Impact Survey) questionnaire developed for this purpose and translated from the English. In addition, demographic data, pre-existing diseases, pregnancy complications and the care situation were recorded. The questionnaire was either administered as hardcopy to inpatients at the Department of Women’s Health, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany, or online. All pregnant women and mothers who were pregnant or had given birth after the official start of the COVID-19 pandemic (11 March 2020) were eligible to participate. Results Complete data sets of n = 156 pregnant women and n = 221 postpartum women were available for evaluation. The general stress level assessed with the COPE-IS was significantly increased by the COVID-19 pandemic in both, pregnant and postpartum women, with pre-existing conditions such as respiratory diseases and pregnancy-related diseases like gestational diabetes adding to the stress. The subjectively perceived quality of care/support during pregnancy also influenced the stress level. Conclusions Fears of a COVID-19 infection and changes in preventive and aftercare services were a burden for the women surveyed. Intensified care during pregnancy and puerperium could help to stabilize the mental situation and reduce stress.

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“…We utilized the Coronavirus Perinatal Experiences Impact Survey (COPE-IS), a 90-item, mixed-method open-source survey designed by experts in maternal health to collect data on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal experiences [23]. The COPE-IS survey has been broadly employed throughout localities in the United States and Europe for future cross-sectional data analysis [24][25][26], but has not been psychometrically tested because of the novelty of the pandemic. Respondents are asked to answer single-answer, multiple-choice, and Likert Scale questions regarding pregnancy and postpartum concerns, feelings of support, and challenges due to the pandemic.…”

Section: Survey Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I had so many life-changing decisions I had to make without support”: a qualitative analysis of women’s pregnant and postpartum experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ashby

Riggan

Huang

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has posed profound challenges for pregnant patients and their families. Studies conducted early in the pandemic found that pregnant individuals reported increased mental health concerns in response to pandemic-related stress. Many obstetric practices changed their healthcare delivery models, further impacting the experiences of pregnant patients. We conducted a survey study to explore the ways in which COVID-19 impacted the lives of pregnant and newly postpartum people. Methods A mixed-methods survey was distributed to all patients ≥18 years old who were pregnant between January 1st, 2020 – April 28, 2021 in a large Midwest health system. Open-ended survey responses were analyzed for common themes using standard qualitative methodology. Results Among the 1182 survey respondents, 647 women provided an open-ended response. Of these, 77% were in the postpartum period. The majority of respondents identified as white, were partnered or married, and owned their own home. Respondents reported feeling greater uncertainty, social isolation, as though they had limited social and practical support, and negative mental health effects as a result of the pandemic. Many cited sudden or arbitrary changes to their medical care as a contributing factor. Though in the minority, some respondents also reported benefits from the changes to daily life, including perceived improvements to medical care, better work-life balance, and opportunities for new perspectives. Conclusions This large qualitative dataset provides insight into how healthcare policy and lifestyle changes impacted pregnant and postpartum people. Respondents expressed similar levels of uncertainty and mental health concerns compared to other cohorts but less overall positivity. Our findings suggest greater attention be given to the impact of pandemic-related stress on pregnant and postpartum women. As the pandemic continues, these data identify areas where investment in additional support may have the greatest impact.

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The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 among Women Accessing Family Care Centers during Pregnancy and the Postnatal Period in Italy

Cited by 15 publications

References 36 publications

The influence of lifestyles to cope with stress over mental health in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic

The influence of lifestyles to cope with stress over mental health in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 and Perinatal Stress Experience – a Study Conducted as Part of the COVGEN Initiative

“I had so many life-changing decisions I had to make without support”: a qualitative analysis of women’s pregnant and postpartum experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

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