The DOI matches its Crossref record; 76 of the 77 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Elevated depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic
Open accessAbstract
Background Anxiety and depression symptoms in pregnancy typically affect between 10 and 25% of pregnant individuals. Elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety are associated with increased risk of preterm birth, postpartum depression, and behavioural difficulties in children. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a unique stressor with potentially wide-ranging consequences for pregnancy and beyond.Methods We assessed symptoms of anxiety and depression among pregnant individuals during the current COVID-19 pandemic and determined factors that were associated with psychological distress. 1987 pregnant participants in Canada were surveyed in April 2020. The assessment included questions about COVID-19-related stress and standardized measures of depression, anxiety, pregnancy-related anxiety, and social support.Results We found substantially elevated anxiety and depression symptoms compared to similar pre-pandemic pregnancy cohorts, with 37% reporting clinically relevant symptoms of depression and 57% reporting clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety. Higher symptoms of depression and anxiety were associated with more concern about threats of COVID-19 to the life of the mother and baby, as well as concerns about not getting the necessary prenatal care, relationship strain, and social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher levels of perceived social support and support effectiveness, as well as more physical activity, were associated with lower psychological symptoms.Conclusion This study shows concerningly elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression among pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, that may have long-term impacts on their children. Potential protective factors include increased social support and exercise, as these were associated with lower symptoms and thus may help mitigate long-term negative outcomes.
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“The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with mental health difficulties, especially during pregnancy and early postpartum.”
From The Indirect Effect of Parental Intolerance of Uncertainty on Perinatal Mental Health via Mindfulness During COVID-19 (2021) · cites this paper as Lebel et al., 2020
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“In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of pregnant women, with more than one-third reporting clinically relevant symptoms of depression and more than half of women reporting clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety (2–4).”
From Acceptance, experiences, and needs of hospitalized pregnant women toward an electronic mindfulness-based intervention: A pilot mixed-methods study (2022) · cites this paper as [3]
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“At the same time, access to in-person psychological treatments has been severely limited in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, further highlighting the need for effective interventions delivered remotely (3).”
From Acceptance, experiences, and needs of hospitalized pregnant women toward an electronic mindfulness-based intervention: A pilot mixed-methods study (2022) · cites this paper as [3]
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The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women's mental health
Almeida, M., Shrestha, A. D., Stojanac, D., & Miller, L. J. (2020) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-020-01092-2 · Cited by 583
Manchia, M., Gathier, A. W., Eser, H. Y., Schmidt, M. V., de Quervain, D. J. ‐., van Amelsvoort, T., Bisson, J. I., Cryan, J. F., Howes, O. D., Pinto, L., et al. (2021) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.10.864 · Cited by 532
Maternal psychological distress & mental health service use during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cameron, E. E., Joyce, K. M., Delaquis, C. P., Reynolds, K., Protudjer, J. L. P., & Roos, L. E. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.081 · Cited by 413
COVID-19 pandemic and maternal mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Hessami, K., Romanelli, C., Chiurazzi, M., & Cozzolino, M. (2022) · The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine · doi:10.1080/14767058.2020.1843155 · Cited by 384
Preis, H., Mahaffey, B., Heiselman, C., & Lobel, M. (2020) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113348 · Cited by 302
Metadata
- Authors
- Lebel, C., MacKinnon, A., Bagshawe, M., Tomfohr-Madsen, L., & Giesbrecht, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Calgary (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Lebel, Catherine
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-12
- Volume
- 277
- Pages
- 5-13
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7395614
- OpenAlex
- W3046762513
- Cited by
- 1,017
- References
- 77
- Citations by year
- 2026: 51 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 130 · 2023: 228 · 2022: 281 · 2021: 215 · 2020: 47
- FWCI
- 144.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- erratum (2021-01-15)
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
- Keywords
- antenatal depression, prenatal anxiety, COVID-19 pandemic, psychological distress, social support, physical activity, prenatal care access, relationship strain, social isolation, maternal mental health, pregnancy-related anxiety
- MeSH terms
- Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety, Canada, Depression, Female, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Pregnancy, Prenatal Care, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Social Isolation, Social Support, Stress, Psychological, Coronavirus Infections, Depression, Postpartum, Pregnant People, Pregnant Women, Young Adult, Pandemics
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