Women’s experiences of the indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in high-income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Abstract

Background Pregnant and postpartum women’s experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on perinatal health, has been well-documented across high-income countries. Increased anxiety and fear, isolation, as well as a disrupted pregnancy and postnatal period are widely described in many studies. The aim of this study was to explore, describe and synthesise studies that addressed the experiences of pregnant and postpartum women in high-income countries during the first two years of the pandemic. Methods A qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) was undertaken. Five electronic databases were searched from January 2020 – January 2022. Primary qualitative studies of women’s experiences during the pandemic were included. Two independent reviewers extracted the data using a thematic synthesis approach and NVivo 20 software. The GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) was used to assess confidence in review findings. Results Sixty-eight studies were eligible and subjected to a sampling framework to ensure data richness. In total, 36 sampled studies contributed to the development of themes, sub-themes and review findings. There were six over-arching themes: (1) dealing with public health restrictions; (2) navigating changing health policies; (3) adapting to alternative ways of receiving social support; (4) dealing with impacts on their own mental health; (5) managing the new and changing information; and (6) being resilient and optimistic. Seventeen review findings were developed under these themes with high to moderate confidence according to the GRADE-CERQual assessment. Conclusions This review has provided a cohesive and transparent documentation of pregnant and postpartum women’s experiences during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from the QES offer different strategies for practice and policy makers to better support women, babies and their families in future emergency responses.