Substance use and mental health in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the prevalence of substance use as a coping mechanism and identified relationships between maternal mental health over time and use of substances to cope during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among pregnant women in the U.S.A.

METHODS

Self-reported repeated measures from 83 pregnant women were collected online in April 2020 and May 2020. Women retrospectively reported their mental/emotional health before the pandemic, as well as depression, stress, and substance use as a result of the pandemic at both time points. Linear regression measured cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between mental health and substance use.

RESULTS

Pre-COVID-19 reports of poorer mental/emotional health ( = 0.46) were significantly (.05) associated with number of substances used to cope with the pandemic. Elevated stress ( = 0.35) and depressive symptoms ( = 0.27) and poorer mental/emotional health ( = 0.14) in April were also significantly related to higher numbers of substances used in May (.05).

CONCLUSION

Pregnant women's psychological well-being may be a readily measured indicator substance use risk during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions addressing increased stress and depression may also mitigate the emergence of greater substance use among pregnant women.