Implications of COVID-19 on mental health of pregnant women: Does timing of infection matter?

• Sara Barrio-Martínez ^[1] ; Nancy Murillo-García ^[2] ; Margarita Miguel-Corredera ^[2] ; Víctor Ortiz-García de la Foz ^[2] ; Alejandra Sanz-Sanz ^[3] ; Rosa Ayesa-Arriola ^[4]
  1. [1] Universidad Complutense de Madrid

     Universidad Complutense de Madrid

     Madrid, España

     
  2. [2] Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de Valencia

     Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de Valencia

     Valencia, España

     
  3. [3] Laredo Hospital, Laredo, Spain
  4. [4] Mental Illness Research Department, Valdecilla Biomedical Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain; Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Health Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

  Mostrar afiliaciones +
• Localización: European journal of psychiatry, ISSN 0213-6163, Vol. 38, Nº 4, 2024
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpsy.2024.100269
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine sociodemographic and clinical charac- teristics between pregnant women infected (cases) and non-infected (controls) with COVID-19 and their offspring, focusing on the trimester in which the infection occurred Methods: A total of 115 mother-infant dyads (64 cases and 51 controls), were analysed to evalu- ate maternal, delivery and new-borns’ characteristics. In particular, anxiety and depressive symptoms, sleep satisfaction, perinatal stress, bonding, social support or fear of COVID-19, dur- ing pregnancy and 6-weeks after delivery were explored. Student’s t-test, chi-square and repeated measure analysis of variance were used for comparisons when appropriate Results: No significant differences were observed between the two groups in any of the variables analysed, except for the mothers’ education, which was higher in the control group. Regarding the timing of infection, those who were infected during the first trimester reported lower levels of perceived social support and higher levels of anxiety Conclusions: These findings suggest that the emotional impact of the pandemic may be similar throughout the population, regardless of infection status. However, the impact of the COVID-19 on mental health of future mothers appears to be more significant during the early stages of pregnancy. These results underscore the relevance of providing adequate support from the early stages of pregnancy, in order to enhance women well-being.

    © 2024 Sociedad Española de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technolo- gies