Abstract
ObjectivesThis study objectives were to investigate maternal psychological distress, mothers’ fear of their children contracting COVID-19, mothers’ perceptions of the information available regarding children and COVID-19, changes in children’s behavior during lockdown, and concerns of pregnant women in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed women aged 18 years and older who either had children under 10 years of age or were pregnant at the time of the survey. The outcomes included psychological distress, mothers’ fear of their children contracting COVID-19, change in children’s behaviors during COVID-19 lockdown and pregnant women’s concerns. Multivariable ordinary least squares regression models were employed to examine the adjusted associations between sociodemographic factors and psychological distress, as well as fear of COVID-19.ResultsOf 628 women, 11.8% (n = 74) were pregnant at the time of survey. Most of the pregnant women (89.2%, n = 66) had some degree of concerns about their unborn babies getting infected during delivery in the hospital. Among mothers of children under 10 years of age (n = 564), half (n = 282) reported change in their children’s behavior during the lockdown. Most mothers and pregnant women (94.9%, n = 569) had some degree of psychological distress. Mothers and pregnant women with a college degree had significantly lower psychological distress (β = -1.346; p = 0.014) than women with a high school education or less. Similarly, mothers and pregnant women with monthly family income ≥ US$ 1,333 had lower psychological distress than those with < US$ 1,333. Women with pre-existing chronic physical (β = 2.424; p < 0.001) or mental (β = 4.733; p < 0.001) conditions had higher psychological distress than those without these conditions. Having children in the house was a contributory factor for higher psychological distress. For example, mothers with one child (β = 2.602; p = 0.007) had significantly higher psychological distress compared to expectant mothers without children in the house.ConclusionsMost mothers and expectant mothers in our study had moderate to high levels of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Saudi Arabia. Education, family income and chronic mental and physical conditions were associated with high psychological distress in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, and spread to 217 countries [1]
Most mothers and expectant mothers in our study had moderate to high levels of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Saudi Arabia
Family income and chronic mental and physical conditions were associated with high psychological distress in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19
Summary
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, and spread to 217 countries [1]. The World Health Organization declared it a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 [2]. Billions of people around the world have been affected as countries implemented measures to fight the pandemic, among them Saudi Arabia. The COVID-19 pandemic has had undesirable physical and psychological consequences affecting societies, families and individuals [4, 5]. The mother plays an important role as the primary caregiver for the children. Maternal mental health is a matter of serious concern, as females are reported to be at a higher risk for anxiety and depression [4, 6]. The implementation of measures to contain COVID-19 was estimated to negatively affect psychosocial family functioning and may have escalated the risk of depression among mothers [6]
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