Psychological Burden during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Female Caregivers of Preterm versus Term Born Children
Maire Brasseler,
Madeleine Fink,
Barbara Mitschdörfer,
Margarete Reimann,
Eva-Maria Skoda,
Alexander Bäuerle,
Martin Teufel,
Ursula Felderhoff-Müser,
Britta Hüning
Affiliations
Maire Brasseler
University Hospital Essen, Department of Paediatric I, Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Madeleine Fink
Centre for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, C-TNBS, Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Barbara Mitschdörfer
Bundesverband “Das frühgeborene Kind e.V.”, 60598 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Margarete Reimann
University Hospital Essen, Department of Paediatric I, Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Eva-Maria Skoda
Centre for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, C-TNBS, Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Alexander Bäuerle
Centre for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, C-TNBS, Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Martin Teufel
Centre for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, C-TNBS, Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Ursula Felderhoff-Müser
University Hospital Essen, Department of Paediatric I, Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Britta Hüning
University Hospital Essen, Department of Paediatric I, Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Neurology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
Background: during the COVID-19 pandemic, psychological burden increased. Contact restrictions were predominantly stressful for families. Parenthood was reported to be especially challenging for parents of preterm children. Material and Methods: a cross-sectional online-based survey on the psychological burden of parents of preterm and full-term born infants and toddlers during the second lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany was offered by social media, webpages, etc. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), COVID-19 Anxiety (C-19-A), COVID-19-related child protection behavior (PB) were used. Results: 2742 parents—predominantly females—took part in the study, 2025 parents of full-term and 717 parents of preterm born children. Female caregivers of full-term children reported significantly more depression symptoms than those of preterm children during the second lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PB correlated with increased COVID-19 anxiety as well as with increased generalized anxiety and depression symptoms. Female caregivers of preterm children showed significantly more protection behavior than those of full-term born children.
