Association of Perceived Threat, Negative Emotions, and Self-Efficacy With Mental Health and Personal Protective Behavior Among Chinese Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Phoenix Kit Han Mo,Bo Song,Jiangli Di,Linhong Wang,Qian Wang,Vivian Wai In Fong

doi:10.2196/24053

Abstract

BackgroundCOVID-19 is an emerging infectious disease that has created health care challenges worldwide. Pregnant women are particularly affected by this disease.ObjectiveThe aims of this study are to assess the levels of perceived threat (susceptibility, severity, impact), negative emotions (fear, worry), and self-efficacy of pregnant women in China related to COVID-19 and to examine their associations with mental health (depression and anxiety) and personal protective behavior (wearing a face mask).MethodsA total of 4087 pregnant women from China completed a cross-sectional web-based survey between March 3 and 10, 2020.ResultsThe prevalence of probable depression and anxiety was 48.7% (1989/4087) and 33.0% (1347/4087), respectively; 23.8% participants (974/4087) reported always wearing a face mask when going out. Of the 4087 participants, 32.1% (1313) and 36.4% (1490) perceived themselves or their family members to be susceptible to COVID-19 infection, respectively; 3216-3518 (78.7%-86.1%) agreed the disease would have various severe consequences. Additionally, 2275 of the 4087 participants (55.7%) showed self-efficacy in protecting themselves from contracting COVID-19, and 2232 (54.6%) showed efficacy in protecting their family members; 1303 (31.9%) reported a high level of fear of the disease, and 2780-3056 (68.0%-74.8%) expressed worry about various aspects of COVID-19. The results of the multivariate multinominal logistic regression analyses showed that perceived severity, perceived impact, fear, and worry were risk factors for probable depression and anxiety, while self-efficacy was a protective factor. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that perceived susceptibility was associated with always wearing a face mask.ConclusionsChinese pregnant women showed high levels of mental distress but low levels of personal protective behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions are needed to promote the mental health and health behavior of pregnant women during the pandemic.

Highlights

COVID-19 as an Emerging Infectious DiseaseIn December 2019, a cluster of viral pneumonia cases of unknown cause, later named COVID-19, were detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province
This study examined the prevalence and identified factors for depression, anxiety, and frequency of face mask wearing during the COVID-19 period among pregnant women in China
The perceived susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 were considerably higher compared to those observed in a study conducted among residents of Wuhan and Shanghai, which showed that 12.5%-18.6% of participants perceived that they were likely to be infected with COVID-19 and 12%-19.9% rated the disease as serious [18]

Summary

Introduction

In December 2019, a cluster of viral pneumonia cases of unknown cause, later named COVID-19, were detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province. More cases of new infections and deaths were reported across cities in China. Due to the highly contagious nature of the disease, the COVID-19 outbreak spread worldwide in less than three months. As of February 1, 2021, a total of 102,339,513 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,217,005 deaths were reported worldwide [1]. The outbreak of COVID-19 represents a public health emergency of international concern. Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in China. COVID-19 is an emerging infectious disease that has created health care challenges worldwide. Pregnant women are affected by this disease

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Discussion

Conclusion