The Impact of COVID-19 Related Distress on Antenatal Depression in Australia.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-

Anxiety*/epidemiology ; COVID-19*/psychology ; Depression*/epidemiology ; Depression*/psychology ; Mothers*/psychology ; Psychological Distress*; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult ; Australia/epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Pregnant Women/psychology

Globally, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health has been significant. Pregnant women are known to be a vulnerable population in relation to mental health. In Australia, there was an unprecedented demand during the pandemic for mental health services, including services for pregnant women. Maternal mental health has unique and enduring features that can significantly shape a child's overall development and poor maternal mental health can have considerable social and economic costs. This cross-sectional study evaluated symptoms of antenatal depression and COVID-19-related distress in a sample of two hundred and sixty-nine pregnant women residing in Australia aged between 20 and 43 ( M = 31.79, SD = 4.58), as part of a larger study. Social media advertising was used to recruit participants between September 2020 and November 2021. Prevalence rates for antenatal depression were found to be higher in this study (16.4%) compared with previous Australian prevalence rates (7%). COVID-19 distress in relation to having a baby during a COVID-19 outbreak significantly predicted symptoms of antenatal depression, B = 1.46, p < 0.001. Results from this study suggest that mothers and families may have increased mental health vulnerabilities as a consequence of the pandemic for some time yet.

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Keywords: COVID-19; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; antenatal depression; mental health; pregnancy; women

Date Created: 20230329 Date Completed: 20230330 Latest Revision: 20230421

20230422

PMC10049555

10.3390/ijerph20064783

36981691