Developmental Disorders Program and Mackenzie Center for Research in Childhood and Adolescence, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil.
Instituto de Psicologia e de Ciências de Educação [Institute of Psychology and Education], Lusíada University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Psicologia para o Desenvolvimento (CIPD) [The Psychology for Positive Development Research Center], Lusíada University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
J Affect Disord. 2022 Nov 1;316:245-253. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.08.017. Epub 2022 Aug 11.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a significant threat to perinatal mental health. This study examined differences in clinically significant depression, anxiety, and co-morbid symptoms among pregnant and postpartum women across several countries and compared prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety before and during the pandemic in each participating country.
Participants were 3326 pregnant and 3939 postpartum women (up to six months postpartum) living in Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. An online survey was completed between June 7th and October 31st 2020, and included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7). The pre-pandemic studies were identified through literature review.
Prevalence of clinically significant depression (EPDS≥13), anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 10), and co-morbid (EPDS≥13 and GAD-7 ≥ 10) symptoms was 26.7 %, 20 % and 15.2 %, in pregnant women, and 32.7 %, 26.6 % and 20.3 %, in postpartum women, respectively. Significant between-country differences were found in all mental health indicators in both perinatal periods. Higher levels of symptoms were observed during (versus before) the pandemic, especially among postpartum women.
Participants were mostly highly educated and cohabiting with a partner. The online nature of the survey may have limited the participation of women from vulnerable socio-economically backgrounds.
Our findings expand previous literature on the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal mental health, by highlighting that this may be influenced by country of residence. Mental health care policies and interventions should consider the unique needs of perinatal women in different parts of the world.
COVID-19 大流行对围产期心理健康构成了重大威胁。本研究比较了不同国家的孕妇和产后妇女在临床上显著的抑郁、焦虑和共病症状方面的差异，并比较了每个参与国家在大流行前和大流行期间围产期抑郁和焦虑的患病率。
研究对象为来自巴西、智利、塞浦路斯、希腊、以色列、葡萄牙、西班牙、土耳其和英国的 3326 名孕妇和 3939 名产后（产后 6 个月内）妇女。一项在线调查于 2020 年 6 月 7 日至 10 月 31 日进行，调查内容包括爱丁堡产后抑郁量表（EPDS）和广泛性焦虑症筛查量表（GAD-7）。通过文献回顾确定了大流行前的研究。
孕妇中，临床上显著的抑郁（EPDS≥13）、焦虑（GAD-7≥10）和共病（EPDS≥13 和 GAD-7≥10）症状的患病率分别为 26.7%、20%和 15.2%，产后妇女中，分别为 32.7%、26.6%和 20.3%。在两个围产期，所有心理健康指标在国家间均存在显著差异。与大流行前相比，在大流行期间（尤其是产后妇女）观察到的症状水平更高。
参与者主要为高学历和与伴侣同居。调查的在线性质可能限制了来自弱势社会经济背景的妇女的参与。
本研究通过强调 COVID-19 大流行对围产期心理健康的负面影响可能受到居住地的影响，扩展了之前关于大流行对围产期心理健康影响的文献。围产期保健政策和干预措施应考虑到世界各地围产期妇女的独特需求。
