Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Jul 4;22(1):537. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04816-7.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed profound challenges for pregnant patients and their families. Studies conducted early in the pandemic found that pregnant individuals reported increased mental health concerns in response to pandemic-related stress. Many obstetric practices changed their healthcare delivery models, further impacting the experiences of pregnant patients. We conducted a survey study to explore the ways in which COVID-19 impacted the lives of pregnant and newly postpartum people.
A mixed-methods survey was distributed to all patients ≥18 years old who were pregnant between January 1st, 2020 - April 28, 2021 in a large Midwest health system. Open-ended survey responses were analyzed for common themes using standard qualitative methodology.
Among the 1182 survey respondents, 647 women provided an open-ended response. Of these, 77% were in the postpartum period. The majority of respondents identified as white, were partnered or married, and owned their own home. Respondents reported feeling greater uncertainty, social isolation, as though they had limited social and practical support, and negative mental health effects as a result of the pandemic. Many cited sudden or arbitrary changes to their medical care as a contributing factor. Though in the minority, some respondents also reported benefits from the changes to daily life, including perceived improvements to medical care, better work-life balance, and opportunities for new perspectives.
This large qualitative dataset provides insight into how healthcare policy and lifestyle changes impacted pregnant and postpartum people. Respondents expressed similar levels of uncertainty and mental health concerns compared to other cohorts but less overall positivity. Our findings suggest greater attention be given to the impact of pandemic-related stress on pregnant and postpartum women. As the pandemic continues, these data identify areas where investment in additional support may have the greatest impact.
COVID-19 大流行给孕妇及其家庭带来了深刻的挑战。在大流行早期进行的研究发现，孕妇报告称，由于与大流行相关的压力，她们的心理健康问题有所增加。许多产科实践改变了他们的医疗保健提供模式，这进一步影响了孕妇的体验。我们进行了一项调查研究，以探讨 COVID-19 如何影响孕妇和产后人群的生活。
一项混合方法调查分发给了在 2020 年 1 月 1 日至 2021 年 4 月 28 日期间在一个中西部大型医疗系统中怀孕的所有≥18 岁的患者。使用标准定性方法对开放式调查回复进行了分析，以确定常见主题。
在 1182 名调查受访者中，有 647 名女性提供了开放式回复。其中，77%的人处于产后阶段。大多数受访者自认为是白人，有伴侣或已婚，拥有自己的房子。受访者报告说，由于大流行，他们感到更加不确定、更加孤立、感觉自己的社会和实际支持有限，并且心理健康受到负面影响。许多人将医疗保健的突然或任意改变归咎于这一结果。虽然占少数，但一些受访者也报告了日常生活变化带来的好处，包括他们认为医疗保健有所改善、工作与生活更加平衡以及有机会获得新的视角。
这个大型定性数据集提供了有关医疗保健政策和生活方式变化如何影响孕妇和产后人群的深入了解。与其他群体相比，受访者表达了类似程度的不确定性和心理健康问题，但总体上的积极性较低。我们的研究结果表明，应更加关注与大流行相关的压力对孕妇和产后妇女的影响。随着大流行的继续，这些数据确定了在哪些方面增加支持可能会产生最大影响。
