Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (Aug 2023)

The protective role of postpartum resilience on anxiety rates of Brazilian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Carolina Coelho Scholl,
  • Fernanda Teixeira Coelho,
  • Bárbara Borges Rubin,
  • Caroline Nickel Ávila,
  • Isabela Petry,
  • Kathreim Macedo da Rosa,
  • Rayssa da Luz Martins,
  • Victória Duquia da Silva,
  • Mariana Weizer,
  • Jéssica Puchalski Trettim,
  • Mariana Bonati de Matos,
  • Ricardo Tavares Pinheiro,
  • Luciana de Avila Quevedo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/0047-2085000000421
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 72, no. 3
pp. 184 – 190

Abstract

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ABSTRACT Objective: We evaluated the protective effect of postpartum resilience (measured before the pandemic onset) on the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The sample included 589 mothers from a longitudinal study in southern Brazil. Three months after delivery we assessed maternal resilience through the Resilience Scale (RS). The Generalized Anxiety Disorders 7-item (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The prevalence of severe to moderate anxiety symptoms in this sample was 28.4% (95% CI: 25.0; 32.0). Resilience showed to be a protective factor against moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the pandemic (OR: 0.98; p<0.001). Conclusions: The results showed that postpartum resilience is a factor associated with lower odds of a more intense manifestation of anxiety during pandemic periods. Thus, strengthening resilience by reinforcing appropriate coping strategies can prevent mental health problems.

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