ArticleBMJ open2023
Mental health of pregnant and postpartum women during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a European cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Unravelling the biological nexus of smoking and postpartum depression: a meta-analysis and functional genomics approach.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Prenatal exposure to nicotine and postpartum depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of Adverse Pregnancy History and Demographics on Antenatal Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of 897 Women.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Escitalopram Dose Optimization During Pregnancy: A PBPK Modeling Approach.Pharmaceutics · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Phase-Based Analysis from a Spanish Tertiary Hospital (2020-2023).Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Psychometric testing of Chinese version of screening tools (PASS) and GAD among perinatal population: hospital based evidence 2023.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- COVID-19 Stressors and Maternal Mental Health in Georgia, United States: Sources, Effects, and Recommendations.International journal of MCH and AIDS · 2025Article
- Common Mental Disorders and Associated Factors During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period in Indonesia: An Analysis of Data From the 2018 Basic Health Research.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2024Article
- Breastfeeding Practices and Postpartum Depression in Mexican Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- Article
- COVID-19 pandemic effects: Examining prenatal internalizing symptoms and infant temperament.Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant StudiesArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 7 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe the mental health of perinatal women in five European countries during the third pandemic wave and identify risk factors related to depressive and anxiety symptoms.
designA cross-sectional, online survey-based study.
settingBelgium, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK, 10 June 2021-22 August 2021.
participantsPregnant and up to 3 months postpartum women, older than 18 years of age. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) were used to assess mental health status. Univariate and multivariate generalised linear models were performed to identify factors associated with poor mental health.
results5210 women participated (including 3411 pregnant and 1799 postpartum women). The prevalence of major depressive symptoms (EDS ≥13) was 16.1% in the pregnancy group and 17.0% in the postpartum . Moderate to severe generalised anxiety symptoms (GAD ≥10) were found among 17.3% of the pregnant and 17.7% of the postpartum women. Risk factors associated with poor mental health included having a pre-existing mental illness, a chronic somatic illness, having had COVID-19 or its symptoms, smoking, unplanned pregnancy and country of residence. Among COVID-19 restrictive measures specific to perinatal care, pregnant and postpartum women were most anxious about not having their partner present at the time of delivery, that their partner had to leave the hospital early and to be separated from their newborn after the delivery.
conclusionApproximately one in six pregnant or postpartum women reported major depression or anxiety symptoms during the third wave of the pandemic. These findings suggest a continued need to monitor depression and anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum populations throughout and in the wake of the pandemic. Tailored support and counselling are essential to reduce the burden of the pandemic on perinatal and infant mental health.
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