ArticleFrontiers in global women's health2026
Distinct effects of general psychological distress and COVID-19-specific fear during pregnancy on gestational age and infant birth weight.
Article in Frontiers in global women's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Objective: To disentangle the independent and shared contributions of maternal general psychological distress (GPD) and COVID-19-specific fear (CSF) during pregnancy to gestational age at birth and infant birth weight. Methods: This study utilized secondary data from the prospective Canadian "Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic" cohort. The final analytic sample comprised 5,658 pregnant individuals. GPD was a latent variable indicated by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety scores. CSF was a latent variable indicated by three items assessing pandemic-related fears for self and baby. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined associations with gestational age and birth weight, controlling for maternal age, income, and education. Results: The SEM demonstrated good fit. Higher GPD independently predicted shorter gestational age (standardized Conclusion: COVID-19-specific fear is a unique and significant risk factor for shorter gestational age and lower infant birth weight, distinct from general psychological distress. These findings highlight the need to assess and address pandemic-specific fears in perinatal populations to mitigate adverse birth outcomes during public health crises. Targeted interventions for specific fears may be necessary beyond general mental health support.
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