The COVID-19 Pandemic and Psychopathological symptoms in pregnant women in Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women are exposed to potentially harmful stressors that might affect their health. The direct consequences that SARS-CoV-2 may have on perinatal mental health are still unknown. Objective The present study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychopathological symptoms in a sample of Spanish pregnant women. Methods A sample of 186 pregnant women was assessed using the revised Symptoms Check List-90 during the first lockdown in Spain. Results The results showed clinical scores on the obsession and compulsion, anxiety and phobic anxiety subscales, as well as on the severity indexes. Phobic anxiety was the only variable that was inversely correlated with age and the number of previous miscarriages. A linear regression model showed that age was inversely associated with phobic anxiety scores. A younger age was associated with higher levels of phobic anxiety symptoms. Conclusions Our results indicated that younger pregnant women and women in the first trimester of pregnancy were more vulnerable to the effects of stress and concerns about COVID-19.