ArticleGlobal health research and policy2021
The impact of lockdown policy on depressive symptoms among pregnant women in China: mediating effects of internet use and family support.
Article in Global health research and policy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Factors influencing digital health literacy in stroke patients based on social cognitive theory: a mixed-methods systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Perinatal depression and its associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 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
- Maternal Inner Strength Mediates the Longitudinal Association Between Family Emotional Expression and Fear of Childbirth: A Cross-Lagged Panel Mediation Analysis.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Evolving role of the internet in China as a medium for promoting psychological well-being and mental health: a scoping review.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Review
- Impact of closed-off management due to COVID-19 rebound on maternal depression during pregnancy.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health, early childhood development, and parental practices: a global scoping review.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Problematic use of the Internet in low- and middle-income countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.Current opinion in behavioral sciences · 2022Article
- Depression in pregnant and postpartum women during COVID-19 pandemic: systematic review and meta-analysis.Obstetrics & gynecology science · 2022Article
- Pregnant Women's Anxiety and Depression Symptoms and Influence Factors in the COVID-19 Pandemic in Changzhou, China.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAlthough more and more attention has been paid to the psychological consequences of the lockdown policy amongst pregnant women, the underlying mechanism linking the lockdown policy to maternal depression has not been studied in the context of China. This study aimed to explore the association between the lockdown policy and maternal depressive symptoms, and whether such association was mediated by internet use and/or family support.
methodsThis cross-sectional study used multi-stage sampling techniques in central and western China. Data were collected from 1266 pregnant women using a structtured questionnaire that measured internet use, family support, and depressive symptoms. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms. Internet use was measured by length of usage and varierity of purpose for internet use. Family support was measureed by spousal support and parental support. The structural equation modelling was employed to conduct mediation analysis to test the specificity of the hypothetical paths.
resultsOverall, 527 respondents (41.63%) presented depressive symptoms. The lockdown policy was negatively associated with depressive symptoms in pregnant women (β = - 0.925, 95% CI = -1.510, - 0.360). The impact of the lockdown policy on depressive symptoms was partially mediated by internet use (β = 1.589, 95% CI = 0.730, 2.807) and family support (β = - 0.162, 95% CI = - 0.341, - 0.017), accounting for 42.67% of the total effect.
conclusionsThe lockdown policy was generally associated with fewer depressive symptoms in pregnant women. The lockdown policy increased maternal depressive symptoms through increased internet use, but decreased maternal depressive symptoms through enhanced family support. The findings suggest that the psychological consequence of the lockdown policy may vary across different populations, and warrant the need to take into consideration the features of subgroups.
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