Depression and anxiety among pregnant mothers in the initial stage of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the southwest of Iran

Abstract

Plain English summary Children of mothers who experience high psychological distress during pregnancy are more susceptible to cognitive and behavioral problems. Few studies have reported the psychological distress of pregnant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it may be considered as a risk factor for child developmental disorders. In total, 540 out of 920 registered pregnant mothers in maternity clinics affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences answered the online questionnaire and were included in this study. An online self-administered data gathering tool was used so that the respondents felt more secure. The data gathering tool had three main parts: socio-demographic, obstetric and medical histories, and the short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) which consisting of 21 questions, 7 in each subscale; depression (DASS-D), anxiety (DASS-A) and stress (DASS-S). Pregnant mothers who had two or more comorbidities or those with lower self-rated health (SRH) had a higher chance of having an abnormal anxiety level. Depression levels were higher in pregnant mothers who had no insurance. Additionally, depression symptoms were more prevalent in pregnant mothers who had low health status than in those with good or intermediated SRH. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic contributes to a significant increase in depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant mothers. Moreover, lack of insurance, poor SRH, and having comorbidities are significantly associated with increasing depressive and anxiety scores.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Pregnancy
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Mental disorders
• DASS-21