ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022
Mental health symptom changes in pregnant individuals across the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective longitudinal study.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Changes in prenatal cannabis use and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2025Article
- GESTACOVID Project: Psychological and Perinatal Effects in Spanish Pregnant Women Subjected to Strict Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Evolution during De-Escalation.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Social distancing and mental health among pregnant women during the coronavirus pandemic.BMC women's health · 2023Article
- Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInitial studies found that mental health symptoms increased in pregnant and postpartum individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Less research has focused on if these putative increases persist over time and what factors influence these changes. We examined the longitudinal change in mental health symptoms in pregnant and postpartum individuals and investigated moderation by maternal emotion dysregulation and the incidence of coronavirus.
methodsPregnant and postpartum individuals at the University of Utah were invited to join the COVID-19 and Perinatal Experiences (COPE) Study. Beginning on April 23, 2020 participants were sent a survey comprised of demographics, medical and social history, pregnancy information and self-assessments (Time 1). Participants were contacted 90 days later and invited to participate in a follow-up questionnaire (Time 2). Daily coronavirus case counts were accessed from the state of Utah and a 7-day moving average calculated. Within-subject change in mental health symptom scores, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, was calculated. Linear mixed effects regression modeling adjusted for history of substance abuse and mental health disorders.
results270 individuals responded between April 23rd, 2020 and July 15th, 2021. Mental health symptom scores improved by 1.36 points (0.7-2.0 p < 0.001). The decrease in mental health symptoms was not moderated by the prevalence of COVID-19 cases (p = 0.19) but was moderated by emotion dysregulation (p = 0.001) as defined by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale short form. Participants with higher emotion dysregulation also had higher mental health symptom scores.
conclusionMental health symptoms improved over the course of the pandemic in the same pregnant or postpartum participant. Our findings do not negate the importance of mental health care during the pandemic. Rather, we believe this identifies some aspect of resiliency and adaptability. Examining emotion dysregulation, or asking about a history of mental health, may be helpful in identifying persons at higher risk of heightened responses to stressors.
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