Abstract
BackgroundPregnant women’s stress, mental and physical health, and health behaviours can have important implications for maternal and child health outcomes. AimTo examine pregnant women’s levels of stress, mental and physical health, and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted online, with recruitment and data collection occurring between 16/6/20 and 17/7/20. Participants were pregnant women recruited via online pregnancy/parenting communities. Participants self-reported their levels of general stress, pregnancy-specific stress and COVID-19 related stress, mental and physical health, general health behaviours, and COVID-19 related health behaviours. Findings573 pregnant women participated in the survey. Participants were most commonly resident in the United States (42.6%, n=243), Ireland (41.2%, n=235) or the United Kingdom (10%, n=57). The majority (80.0%, n=457) were married and educated to degree level or above (79.3, n=453). Pregnant women reported high levels of pregnancy-specific and COVID-19-related stress, and low levels of mental and physical health, during the pandemic. Encouragingly, pregnant women in this study generally reported high levels of adherence to public health advice and pregnancy health behaviours. Stress and general mental health outcomes were best predicted by well-being factors (including stress and social support). Health impairing behaviours (e.g. poor diet) were predicted by both well-being and demographic factors. DiscussionInterventions targeting pregnancy- and pandemic-specific stress at the population level will be essential to support mental health and minimise adverse outcomes for women and children during the pandemic.
Highlights
Many women experience disruptions to mental health during pregnancy
For COVID-19 related stress, 58% of participants reported feeling “very” concerned about COVID-19 related restrictions; 39.4% of women reported feeling “very” concerned about their babies becoming unwell because of the coronavirus; and only 31.7% of participants felt confident that COVID-19 would be successfully controlled
This study found high levels of pregnancy-specific and COVID-19 related stress, and low levels of mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
Many women experience disruptions to mental health during pregnancy. It is estimated, for example, that between 7% and 30% of women exhibit symptoms of depression during their pregnancies [1]; between 18.2% and 24.6% report anxiety [2]; and up to 84% experience stress [3]. Low physical activity, poor diet, and substance use during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of adverse prenatal [9], health [9,10,11,12], and child developmental [13] outcomes. Aim: To examine pregnant women’s levels of stress, mental and physical health, and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pregnant women reported high levels of pregnancy-specific and COVID-19-related stress, and low levels of mental and physical health, during the pandemic. Pregnant women in this study generally reported high levels of adherence to public health advice and pregnancy health behaviours. Discussion: Interventions targeting pregnancy- and pandemic-specific stress at the population level will be essential to support mental health and minimise adverse outcomes for women and children during the pandemic.
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