Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
SABIC Psychological Health Research and Applications Chair (SPHRAC), Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Front Public Health. 2023 Jan 16;10:994004. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.994004. eCollection 2022.
As COVID-19 spread in several countries, social distancing measures was implemented around the world, affecting the quality of lives for millions of people. The impact was more pronounced on vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, who are at even more risk due to their suppressed immune system. Moreover, mental health disorders are more common among pregnant women compared to non-pregnant. This study aims to assess the influence of social isolation measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of women in their third trimester and postpartum.
This is a cross-sectional survey-based study conducted in Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between the months of April to May 2021, to explore depression and anxiety levels in females who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to background demographic data, the survey included Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were utilized to detect symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively.
A total of 283 women were included in this study, almost half of them were ante-natal (n-141) and the rest were post-natal ( = 124). 62.3% were in the age groups of 25-35 years. Based on the PHQ-9 scoring, 65% of the study sample had depression (ranging from mild to severe). Moreover, based on GAD-7 scoring, 49.1% had anxiety (ranging from mild to severe). No association was found between PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores and different sociodemographic and obstetric factors. Additionally, the mean scores of women infected with COVID-19 vs. women who has never been diagnosed with COVID-19 were closely comparable.
We reported a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and health care providers are advised to implement targeted preventive measures for pregnant women to improve mental health in times of epidemics.
随着 COVID-19 在多个国家的传播，全球范围内实施了社交距离措施，影响了数百万人的生活质量。这种影响在孕妇等弱势群体中更为明显，由于她们的免疫系统受到抑制，她们面临更大的风险。此外，与非孕妇相比，孕妇更容易出现精神健康障碍。本研究旨在评估 COVID-19 大流行期间由于社交隔离措施对处于孕晚期和产后的妇女心理健康的影响。
这是一项在沙特阿拉伯利雅得的哈利德国王大学医院进行的基于横断面调查的研究，于 2021 年 4 月至 5 月期间进行，旨在探索在 COVID-19 大流行期间分娩的女性的抑郁和焦虑水平。除了背景人口统计学数据外，该调查还使用了患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）和广泛性焦虑症量表-7（GAD-7）分别检测抑郁和焦虑症状。
共有 283 名妇女纳入本研究，其中近一半为产前（n=141），其余为产后（n=124）。62.3%的人年龄在 25-35 岁之间。根据 PHQ-9 评分，65%的研究样本患有抑郁症（从轻度到重度）。此外，根据 GAD-7 评分，49.1%的人患有焦虑症（从轻度到重度）。PHQ-9 和 GAD-7 评分与不同的社会人口学和产科因素之间没有关联。此外，感染 COVID-19 的妇女与从未被诊断出 COVID-19 的妇女的平均分数非常接近。
我们报告了 COVID-19 大流行期间孕妇中抑郁和焦虑的高患病率。建议政策制定者和医疗保健提供者为孕妇实施有针对性的预防措施，以在疫情期间改善心理健康。
