Psycho-emotional consequences in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Fear of COVID-19, especially in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, created excessive concern leading to unexpected psycho-emotional consequences and a need to summarize the most recent knowledge about this topic. Therefore, we conducted a narrative review of the relevant literature, synthesizing data from available databases. According to the findings of this review, pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic were more anxious and depressed mainly due to the fear of contacting the virus, restricting measures, and concerns about the health of their unborn children.The elevated stress levels in pregnant women due to the pandemic could represent risk factors for physical health complications. Thus, strategies including relaxation, mindfulness, acceptance, and positive attitude to COVID-19 should be promoted for pregnant women.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• depression
• mental health
• pregnancy
• st