Mental health of pregnant and postpartum women during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a European cross-sectional study.
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BORIS DOI
Date of Publication
January 11, 2023
Publication Type
Article
Division/Institute
Author
Tauqeer, Fatima | |
Ceulemans, Michael | |
Gerbier, Eva | |
Passier, Anneke | |
Oliver, Alison | |
Foulon, Veerle | |
Lupattelli, Angela | |
Nordeng, Hedvig |
Series
BMJ open
ISSN or ISBN (if monograph)
2044-6055
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Language
English
Publisher DOI
PubMed ID
36631239
Uncontrolled Keywords
Description
OBJECTIVE
To describe the mental health of perinatal women in five European countries during the third pandemic wave and identify risk factors related to depressive and anxiety symptoms.
DESIGN
A cross-sectional, online survey-based study.
SETTING
Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK, 10 June 2021-22 August 2021.
PARTICIPANTS
Pregnant and up to 3 months postpartum women, older than 18 years of age.
PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE
The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) were used to assess mental health status. Univariate and multivariate generalised linear models were performed to identify factors associated with poor mental health.
RESULTS
5210 women participated (including 3411 pregnant and 1799 postpartum women). The prevalence of major depressive symptoms (EDS ≥13) was 16.1% in the pregnancy group and 17.0% in the postpartum . Moderate to severe generalised anxiety symptoms (GAD ≥10) were found among 17.3% of the pregnant and 17.7% of the postpartum women. Risk factors associated with poor mental health included having a pre-existing mental illness, a chronic somatic illness, having had COVID-19 or its symptoms, smoking, unplanned pregnancy and country of residence. Among COVID-19 restrictive measures specific to perinatal care, pregnant and postpartum women were most anxious about not having their partner present at the time of delivery, that their partner had to leave the hospital early and to be separated from their newborn after the delivery.
CONCLUSION
Approximately one in six pregnant or postpartum women reported major depression or anxiety symptoms during the third wave of the pandemic. These findings suggest a continued need to monitor depression and anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum populations throughout and in the wake of the pandemic. Tailored support and counselling are essential to reduce the burden of the pandemic on perinatal and infant mental health.
To describe the mental health of perinatal women in five European countries during the third pandemic wave and identify risk factors related to depressive and anxiety symptoms.
DESIGN
A cross-sectional, online survey-based study.
SETTING
Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK, 10 June 2021-22 August 2021.
PARTICIPANTS
Pregnant and up to 3 months postpartum women, older than 18 years of age.
PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE
The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) were used to assess mental health status. Univariate and multivariate generalised linear models were performed to identify factors associated with poor mental health.
RESULTS
5210 women participated (including 3411 pregnant and 1799 postpartum women). The prevalence of major depressive symptoms (EDS ≥13) was 16.1% in the pregnancy group and 17.0% in the postpartum . Moderate to severe generalised anxiety symptoms (GAD ≥10) were found among 17.3% of the pregnant and 17.7% of the postpartum women. Risk factors associated with poor mental health included having a pre-existing mental illness, a chronic somatic illness, having had COVID-19 or its symptoms, smoking, unplanned pregnancy and country of residence. Among COVID-19 restrictive measures specific to perinatal care, pregnant and postpartum women were most anxious about not having their partner present at the time of delivery, that their partner had to leave the hospital early and to be separated from their newborn after the delivery.
CONCLUSION
Approximately one in six pregnant or postpartum women reported major depression or anxiety symptoms during the third wave of the pandemic. These findings suggest a continued need to monitor depression and anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum populations throughout and in the wake of the pandemic. Tailored support and counselling are essential to reduce the burden of the pandemic on perinatal and infant mental health.
File(s)
| File | File Type | Format | Size | License | Publisher/Copright statement | Content | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e063391.full.pdf | text | Adobe PDF | 369.52 KB | Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) | published |