COVID-19 Pandemic Increases Anxiety and Depression in Pregnant Women, New Study Says

A new study says that anxiety and depression in pregnant women spiked during the pandemic. Social support has the potential to shield the pregnant population from anxiety issues induced by the COVID-19. The findings noted that modification of the standard maternity services due to lockdown and other strict public health protocols may have contributed to the surge of mental health problems during gestation.

Pregnant Women's Mental Health During the Pandemic

Indonesia Vaccinates Pregnant Women — YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA - AUGUST 19: A pregnant woman receives a dose of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination program on August 19, 2021 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia, facing a severe wave of COVID-19 infections, has passed the grim milestone of more than 100,000 deaths recorded due to the disease. Television news channels quoted pediatricians who said that one in eight of those infected are children, as concerns grow about the unvaccinated demographic's ability to fend off the Delta variant. Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

According to the research, the lack of appointments and other face-to-face approaches during pregnancy resulted in negative implications for the well-being of pregnant women.

The University of Essex Centre for Brain Science expert and senior author of the study Silvia Rigato said in a PTC News report that maintaining maternal wellness through the normal process during pregnancy and after is crucial during this phase in life. Ensuring the best care for children and their new families is as important.

The study recorded a whopping 60 percent anxiety rate in pregnant women, which jumped from an initial, pre-pandemic rate of 37 percent. The pre-pandemic depression rate of 17 percent in the expecting mothers also increased by 30 percent, ultimately gaining a staggering 47 percent.

Rigato and fellow psychology experts Maria Laura Filippetti and Alasdair Clarke examined data gathered from 150 pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, between April 2020 and January 2021, right before global vaccination programs commenced.

Prenatal trauma, one of the prevailing psychological conditions during the pandemic, was also discovered to induce vulnerability in other mental health disorders.

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Pregnancy Service Adjustment Affects Expecting Parents, Development of Infants

Rigato explained in a EurkeAlert report that while the findings are consistent with the initial studies between the woman's mood and its influence on her relationship with he offspring, the new research contributes to the need of authorities to be aware of the supports for women during gestation and postnatal period. Convenient services for the pregnant population will ensure the health and development of the infants.

Social support could also influence the mental health of pregnant individuals in a positive way and improve the entirety of the pregnancy.

The study concluded that simple help from partners, friends, family, and government agencies such as the National Health Service, is considered a protective factor and lowers the chances of risk in pregnant women.

Filippetti said that the increasing rates of anxiety and depression throughout the coronavirus pandemic imply that the pregnant population is facing a mental health crisis that substantially interferes and impairs the bond between mothers and infants during gestation.

The study also suggests that the crisis heightens the risk of negative impacts on the childbirth outcome and during their development.

The study titled "The mental health crisis of expectant women in the UK: effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on prenatal mental health, antenatal attachment and social support" was published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.