Risk factors for depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms in perinatal women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 295; p. 113552
• Main Authors: Liu, Cindy H., Erdei, Carmina, Mittal, Leena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-01-2021
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Female; Humans; postpartum; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - epidemiology; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; United States - epidemiology; women's health; worry; United States; worry; postpartum; Stress; women's health; pregnancy
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113552

•Pregnant and postpartum women are vulnerable to COVID-19-related stresses.•Women with pre-existing mental health diagnoses had elevated mental health symptoms•Pandemic health worries and grief increased the likelihood for mental health symptoms•COVID-19 health worries and grief should be targets for mental health care
Pregnant women and women who recently gave birth are vulnerable to COVID-19-related psychosocial stresses.
We assessed COVID-19-related health worries and grief, and current mental health symptoms (depression, generalized anxiety, and PTSD) in 1,123 U.S. women during the COVID-19 pandemic (May 21 to August 17, 2020) through a cross-sectional study design.
Among our respondents, 36.4% reported clinically significant levels of depression, 22.7% for generalized anxiety, and 10.3% for PTSD. Women with pre-existing mental health diagnoses based on their self-reported history were 1.6-to-3.7 more likely to score at clinically significant levels of depression, generalized anxiety, and PTSD. Approximately 18% reported high levels of COVID-19-related health worries and were 2.6-to-4.2 times more likely to score above the clinical threshold for mental health symptoms. Approximately 9% reported high levels of grief and were 4.8-to-5.5 times more likely to score above the clinical threshold for mental health symptoms.
Perinatal women with pre-existing mental health diagnoses show elevated symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although causation cannot be inferred, COVID-19-related health worries and grief experiences may increase the likelihood of mental health symptoms among those without pre-existing mental health concerns. Providers should develop strategies for addressing health-related worry and grief within their practice.