ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2020
Psychosocial factors associated with postpartum psychological distress during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 99 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 196 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of postpartum depression in the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- Women's mental health and COVID-19: increased vulnerability and inequalities.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Pooled it
- The prevalence of mental ill-health in women during pregnancy and after childbirth during the Covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Pooled it
- Parental Postnatal Depression in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of Its Effects on the Parent-Child Relationship and the Child's Developmental Outcomes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Association between depressive symptoms in the postpartum period and COVID-19: A meta-analysis.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Nutritional factors and cross-national postpartum depression prevalence: an updated meta-analysis and meta-regression of 412 studies from 46 countries.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Psychological health status in postpartum women during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of affective disorders · 2022Pooled it
- The COVID-19 pandemic as a traumatic event and the associated psychological impact on families - A systematic review.Journal of affective disorders · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of postpartum depression in women amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Postpartum Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- When the Bough Breaks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of mental health symptoms in mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic.Infant mental health journal · 2022Pooled it
- One Year Into the Pandemic: A Systematic Review of Perinatal Mental Health Outcomes During COVID-19.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Risk Factors for Postpartum Depression During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of primary care & community healthPooled it
- "Stop, pause and take a break": a mixed methods study of the longer-term outcomes of digital emotional wellbeing training for perinatal women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Trial
- Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on maternal psychological status, the couple's relationship and mother-child interaction: a prospective study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Trial
- Slipping through the net: a qualitative study exploring women's experiences of maternity in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Perinatal mental health and reproductive behavior among women in wartime Ukraine: a cohort study protocol.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Taxonomy of access to mental healthcare for economically marginalized women during a public health crisis: a qualitative study of obstetric professionals and perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Experiences of early parenthood in and beyond the coronavirus pandemic: a qualitative study with expectant and new mothers.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Prevalence and contributing factors of postpartum depression risk during the pandemic among women living in Baixo Alentejo at Portugal.Scientific reports · 2025Article
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTrauma, natural and man-made catastrophic events can be predictors of postpartum psychological distress. In a public health response due to coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, the Italian government imposed a lockdown from March 9 to May 3. This extraordinary situation may have been challenging for maternal psychological health. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms in women giving birth during the Covid-19 pandemic and its associations with quarantine measures, obstetrical factors, and relational attachment style.
methodsWomen who gave birth in a high-volume obstetric/gynaecological medical centre located in an epidemic area during the Covid-19 pandemic (March 8 to June 15) were asked to complete an online survey about their childbirth experience and the perceived effect of the pandemic. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) were administered to assess levels of postpartum depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and relational style of attachment, respectively. Multivariate analysis was applied to identify associations between quarantine measures, childbirth experience, attachment style, and EPDS and IES-R scores.
resultsThe survey was completed by 163 women (response rate 60.8%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 44.2% (EPDS cut-off score ≥ 11) and the PTSS rate was 42.9% (IES-R cut-off score ≥ 24). Dismissive and fearful avoidant attachment styles were significantly associated with the risk of depression and PTSS, respectively. Perceived pain during birth was a risk factor for postpartum depression. Perceived support provided by healthcare staff was a protective factor against depression and PTSS. Another protective factor against PTSS was quiet on the ward due to the absence of hospital visitors.
conclusionThis study reports a high prevalence of postpartum depressive and PTSS in women who gave birth during the Covid-19 pandemic. Postnatal psychological distress seemed to be associated more with the prenatal experience and other individual factors than with the pandemic hospital restrictions. Early detection during pregnancy of an insecure attachment style is fundamental to provide targeted preventive and therapeutic psychological interventions.
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