Ayers Susan, Meades Rose, Sinesi Andrea, Cheyne Helen, Maxwell Margaret, Best Catherine, McNicol Stacey, Alderdice Fiona, Jomeen Julie, Shakespeare Judy
Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, School of Health and Psychological Sciences, City, University of London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, UK.
Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, Pathfoot Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Mar 26;25(1):1146. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22257-7.
Anxiety is estimated to affect between 15 and 20 per cent of women during pregnancy and postpartum. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in wide-ranging changes to how people lived, worked and socialised around the world. COVID and pandemic-related restrictions to maternity services may have exacerbated anxiety during pregnancy and the postnatal period. This study aimed to determine: (1) levels of COVID exposure and perceived risk; (2) adherence to Government guidelines and restrictions; and (3) the impact of COVID and COVID-related restrictions on perinatal anxiety and mental health in the UK.
A longitudinal survey (n = 2122) of COVID and anxiety in women during early pregnancy, mid-pregnancy, late pregnancy and postpartum.
38.41% of participants had COVID before or during the study. Perinatal anxiety was predicted by participants having poor general health, being of Asian or mixed ethnicity, having previous mental health problems, believing that COVID would make them severely ill, and reporting that COVID had impacted on their mental health. Over time, more women were infected with COVID, and the perceived severity of COVID decreased. Experiencing mild COVID was associated with decreased anxiety at the subsequent time point (mean difference -0.72, 95% CI -1.38 to -0.07, p = 0.030). Very few participants in this sample had severe COVID (2.9%) or reported it having a severe impact on their mental health (5.66%). Most participants (75.3%) said the pandemic had 'no' or a 'slight' impact on their mental health. Pandemic-related restrictions to maternity care affected more women, with around 40% reporting anxiety about being separated from baby, their partner not being with them in labor, or having to leave shortly after the birth. Level of adherence to guidelines was variable, depending on the restriction.
Findings suggest pandemic-related restrictions caused anxiety for more women than COVID per se. Adherence to guidelines was variable yet the prevalence of COVID infections was low compared to the general population. Findings can be used to inform policy and practice for future pandemics and health-related crises.
据估计，15%至20%的女性在孕期和产后会受到焦虑影响。新冠疫情导致全球人们的生活、工作和社交方式发生了广泛变化。新冠疫情以及与疫情相关的对产科服务的限制可能加剧了孕期和产后的焦虑。本研究旨在确定：（1）新冠病毒暴露水平和感知风险；（2）对政府指导方针和限制措施的遵守情况；（3）新冠疫情及与新冠相关的限制措施对英国围产期焦虑和心理健康的影响。
对处于孕早期、孕中期、孕晚期及产后的女性进行了一项关于新冠病毒与焦虑的纵向调查（n = 2122）。
38.41%的参与者在研究前或研究期间感染了新冠病毒。围产期焦虑的预测因素包括总体健康状况不佳、为亚洲或混合族裔、既往有心理健康问题、认为新冠病毒会使自己患重病，以及报告新冠病毒对其心理健康产生了影响。随着时间的推移，感染新冠病毒的女性增多，对新冠病毒严重程度的感知有所下降。经历轻度新冠病毒感染与随后时间点焦虑感降低相关（平均差异-0.72，95%置信区间-1.38至-0.07，p = 0.030）。该样本中极少有参与者感染严重新冠病毒（2.9%）或报告其对心理健康有严重影响（5.66%）。大多数参与者（75.3%）表示疫情对其心理健康“没有”或“有轻微”影响。与疫情相关的产科护理限制影响了更多女性，约40%的女性报告担心与婴儿分离、伴侣在分娩时不在身边或产后不久就得离开。对指导方针的遵守程度各不相同，取决于具体限制措施。
研究结果表明，与疫情相关的限制措施给更多女性带来了焦虑，而非新冠病毒本身。对指导方针的遵守情况各不相同，但与普通人群相比，新冠病毒感染率较低。研究结果可用于为未来疫情及与健康相关的危机提供政策和实践参考。
