Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to delineate birthing persons' accounts of COVID-19 diagnosis, inpatient treatment, and recovery from infection and the effect on mental health. METHODS: This is a prospective qualitative study of English-speaking birthing people hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 during pregnancy at a single quaternary care center from August 2021 to March 2022. Semistructured interviews were conducted to examine emotional reactions to developing COVID-19 during pregnancy, experiences with hospital admission and inpatient care, and effect on mental health after recovery. All interviews were audio-recorded, professionally transcribed, and iteratively coded for inductive narrative analysis. RESULTS: Eight birthing people participated in interviews. Universally, participants experienced feelings of fear, panic, and frustration with the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and their need to be hospitalized. Inpatient care engendered feelings of isolation and disconnection due to separation from family and limited interaction with health care team members. Compared to non-Hispanic White participants, non-Hispanic Black participants were more likely to express feelings of discrimination and disrespectful care. After discharge, participants described intentionally avoiding people to minimize risk of reinfection, further increasing fears of anxiety and isolation even months after diagnosis. Postdischarge recovery also included ongoing recovery from physical symptoms, including breathing and activities of daily living. CONCLUSION: Birthing people reported significant psychological trauma after their diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from COVID-19 infection in pregnancy. These experiences highlight the importance of focusing on mental health as part of recovery and outline opportunities to improve the provision of respectful, equitable care.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.