ArticleArchives of women's mental health2021
The COVID-19 outbreak increases maternal stress during pregnancy, but not the risk for postpartum depression.
Article in Archives of women's mental health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association of COVID-19 lockdowns with adverse birth and pregnancy outcomes in 28 high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Postpartum depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: an umbrella review and meta-analyses.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Association between prenatal maternal anxiety and/or stress and offspring's cognitive functioning: A meta-analysis.Child development · 2023Pooled 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
- Association between depressive symptoms in the postpartum period and COVID-19: A meta-analysis.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Study characteristical and regional influences on postpartum depression before vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Psychological health status in postpartum women during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.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
- Risk Factors for Postpartum Depression During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of primary care & community healthPooled it
- Postnatal Bonding in the First Year After Birth: The Role of Maternal Depression, Resilience, and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic and War-Related Stress-A Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Trajectories of maternal bonding over the perinatal period: Associations with demographic, obstetric, psychological, and infant variables.Infant mental health journal · 2026Article
- Review
- Coping styles, strategies and psychological distress amongst perinatal individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Review
- Pregnant and postpartum women's experiences of the indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in high-income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Increased postpartum anxiety symptoms after perinatal SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large, prospective pregnancy cohort in New York City.Journal of psychiatric research · 2024Article
- Impact of closed-off management due to COVID-19 rebound on maternal depression during pregnancy.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Perceived stress and life satisfaction in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating role of fear of childbirth and self-esteem.Health psychology report · 2024Article
- Health anxiety, death anxiety and coronaphobia: Predictors of postpartum depression symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic.Midwifery · 2023Article
- Perinatal depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.AJOG global reports · 2023Article
- Evaluation of the association between fear of COVID-19 and pregnancy distress.African health sciences · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic affects society and may especially have an impact on mental health of vulnerable groups, such as perinatal women. This prospective cohort study of 669 participating women in the Netherlands compared perinatal symptoms of depression and stress during and before the pandemic. After a pilot in 2018, recruitment started on 7 January 2019. Up until 1 March 2020 (before the pandemic), 401 women completed questionnaires during pregnancy, of whom 250 also completed postpartum assessment. During the pandemic, 268 women filled out at least one questionnaire during pregnancy and 59 postpartum (1 March-14 May 2020). Pregnancy-specific stress increased significantly in women during the pandemic. We found no increase in depressive symptoms during pregnancy nor an increase in incidence of high levels of postpartum depressive symptoms during the pandemic. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for increased stress in pregnant women during the pandemic.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.