Social and cognitive vulnerability to COVID-19-related stress in pregnancy: A case-matched-control study of antenatal mental health

Perinatal intrusions: A window into perinatal anxiety disorders

Mental health is the leading cause of preventable perinatal maternal mortality. Studying perinatal intrusions can shed light on determinants of maternal mental health.

Do pregnancy and motherhood have an impact on cognitive functions in women

Pregnancy and motherhood are some of the most physically and mentally challenging periods in a woman's life. The aim of current study was to examine aspects of cognitive functions in pregnancy and motherhood that are controversial in the literature. The study included 30 healthy pregnant women aged between 18-40 years in their second and third trimesters, 30 healthy controls (nulliparous and non-pregnant women) and 30 healthy mothers matched with the pregnant women for age, handedness and education level. Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Trail Making, Stroop, Digit Span, Verbal Fluency and Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Tests (RAVLT) were applied to all participants. The pregnant group showed significantly lower performance in trail making, digit span, verbal fluency as well as RAVLT compared to other two groups suggesting deficiencies in cognitive areas such as attention, set-shifting, planning, learning, language functions, semantic memory, working memory, encoding memory and retrieval. A trend toward increased function in response inhibition was observed in the mothers. Regression analyses revealed that pregnancy significantly decreased performance in verbal fluency, trail making, and RAVLT. Our findings from rigorously selected participants may help comprehend alterations in cognitive functioning during pregnancy and motherhood, as well as shed light on the contradictory literature.

A Survey on the Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Influencing Factors of Caregivers for Newborns With COVID-19 in Chongqing, China

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the healthcare knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of primary caregivers of newborns with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the pandemic in Chongqing, China, and analyze the influencing factors.

METHODS

 The study included primary caregivers of COVID-19 newborns hospitalized in our institution from December 2022 to January 2023. A questionnaire survey was initiated to assess the caregivers' health-care knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for COVID-19 and the influencing factors. The data were analyzed statistically.

RESULTS

A total of 195 caregivers were included, one for each infant with COVID-19. The questionnaire consisted of three dimensions. For the knowledge dimension, the top scoring items were wearing masks in public spaces (4.92 ± 0.087), strengthening hand hygiene (4.83 ± 0.164), and frequent ventilation in living environment (4.62 ± 0.331) in order; for the attitude dimension, the top three scoring items were wearing masks in public spaces (4.85 ± 0.353), strengthening hand washing and disinfection (4.72 ± 0.450), and regular ventilation (4.49 ± 0.501). For the behavior dimension, the top three were confidence in winning the challenge of the pandemic (4.71 ± 0.480), standardized wearing of masks in public spaces/confined spaces (4.68 ± 0.589), and high satisfaction with community epidemic prevention measures (4.67 ± 0.496). Among the influencing factors, fear of COVID-19 was the independent risk indicator for the caregivers' anxiety (OR = 38.085, 95% CI = 14.383-100.664) and fear of COVID-19 (OR = 8.170, 95%CI = 2.156-30.957) and fever (OR = 10.213, 95% CI = 1.972-52.892) were the independent risk indicators for depression.

CONCLUSION

 The study shows a key link between caregiver knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and neonatal COVID-19 infection, with a gap between knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Caregivers, especially those dealing with premature infants, worried about mother-to-child transmission and experienced multiple births, face significant psychological stress during this phase of the pandemic.

Social distancing and mental health among pregnant women during the coronavirus pandemic

BACKGROUND

The effect of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pregnant women is of particular concern, given potential effects on physical health, family functioning, and child development.

METHODS

Pregnant women were recruited for the "Implications of and Experiences Surrounding being Pregnant during the COVID-19 Pandemic" study at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Participants enrolled at any point during their pregnancy and surveys were delivered weekly until the participant indicated that she had delivered her baby; a postpartum survey followed four weeks after delivery. This analysis includes 1037 participants with baseline, 596 with follow-up, and 302 with postpartum surveys. Questions on social distancing behaviors were asked at baseline and grouped based on whether they involved social distancing from work, friends and family, or public places. Symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression, and pregnancy-related anxiety were measured. Each type of social distancing was examined as a predictor of mental health using linear model with control for confounders.

RESULTS

The study population was largely white (84.1%), married (81.8%), and educated (76.2% with a bachelor's or higher degree). Women who were younger, Black, unmarried, or had less education or income reported fewer social distancing behaviors. Mean anxiety score in the highest quartile of overall social distancing was 8.3 (SD 5.6), while in the lowest quartile it was 6.0 (SD 5.0) (p < 0.01), while perceived stress postpartum and pregnancy-related stress were not associated with social distancing. Associations were substantially diminished when controlled for baseline levels of anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater social distancing was associated with more anxiety symptoms, but worse mental health, particularly anxiety, may also have contributed to greater social distancing behaviors.