Mental health of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

CANET-JURIC, LORENA; POÓ, FERNANDO; DEL VALLE, MACARENA VERÓNICA; GALLI, JUAN IGNACIO; LÓPEZ-MORALES, HERNÁN; ANDRÉS, MARÍA LAURA; URQUIJO, SEBASTIÁN

PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020 p. 113567 - 113567

0165-1781

Several studies have reported the susceptibility of pregnant women to emotional instability andstress. Thus, pregnancy may be a risk factor that could deepen the already negative effects ofthe current COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze longitudinallythe psychopathological consequences of the pandemic in pregnant women, and to exploredifferences with non-pregnant women. The participants in this study were 102 pregnantwomen, and a control group of 102 non-pregnant women (most of them reported havinguniversity studies and little financial impact from the pandemic). They completed the BeckDepression Inventory-II, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Positive and NegativeAffect Schedule, in three different times (2, 14, and 47 days after the start of the lockdown). Ina time range of 50 days of quarantine, all women showed a gradual increase inpsychopathological indicators and a decrease in positive affect. Pregnant women showed amore pronounced increase in depression, anxiety and negative affect than the non-pregnantwomen did. In addition, pregnant women showed a more pronounced decrease in positiveaffect. It is important for institutions dedicated to perinatal health care to count on empiricalinformation to optimize the provision of their services.