Psychological status of pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from Mumbai

Abstract

Context: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic poses important challenges to mental health. Pregnant women are a vulnerable group to experience adverse psychological impact of the pandemic, with consequences on maternal and foetal outcomes; currently there are scant data for the same in India. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first from India on psychological status of pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: The aim is to study the impact of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on psychological status of pregnant women. Setting and Design: Cross-sectional observational study in a tertiary care hospital setting in Mumbai. Materials and Methods: Out of total 98 pregnant women reporting to antenatal clinic of the hospital during the study period from June to July 2020, 66 gave informed consent to participate in the study. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) were administered using an online form. Statistical Analysis: Group comparisons were analyzed using appropriate nonparametric tests. Results: About 66.7% of women were primigravida, 39% in second trimester and 75.8% in age group 21–30 years. 28.8% missed scheduled antenatal visit, higher when compared to hospital data prior to pandemic. 39.4% worried about their unborn baby getting infected from Corona virus and 25.8% worried about themselves getting infected. About 72.2% reported moderate levels of perceived stress as measured by PSS-10, 51.6% reported mild-to-moderate level of depressive symptoms by PHQ-9 and 39.4% reported mild-to-moderate anxiety symptoms by GAD-7. PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores of women aged 21–30 years were higher than those aged 31–40 years (P = 0.017 and 0.005 respectively). Conclusion: High rates of perceived stress, depressive, and anxiety symptoms in pregnant women found in this study suggest a need to incorporate psychological screening and interventions in routine antenatal care during ongoing pandemic.