Perinatal Mental Health: One of the Biggest Challenges in Coronavirus Disease-19 Crisis

Goce Kalcev; Antonio Preti; Germano Orrù; Mauro Giovanni Carta

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2020.5058

Authors

Goce Kalcev Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Antonio Preti Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Germano Orrù Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
Mauro Giovanni Carta Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2020.5058

Keywords:

Perinatal, Coronavirus disease-19, Mothers, Mental, Health, stress

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 epidemic is currently conceived as one of the major factors for stress and anxiety for pregnant women around the world. Stress, especially in early pregnancy, is a risk factor for preterm birth. The negative impact of quarantine on mental health in pregnant women should also be taken into account. A large number of benefits of breastfeeding for the mental and physical well-being of both mother and newborn outweigh the potential risks of COVID-19-related transmission and disease. Prenatal and postnatal mental health should be prioritized in facing the current ongoing pandemic.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Plum Analytics Artifact Widget Block

References

Qiao J. What are the risks of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women? Lancet 2020;395:760-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/ s0140-6736(20)30365-2

Mardani M, Pourkaveh B. A controversial debate: Vertical transmission of COVID-19 in pregnancy. Arch Clin Infect Dis 2020;15(1):e102286. https://doi.org/10.5812/archcid.102286

Liu D, Li L, Wu X, Zheng D, Wang J, Liang B, et al. Pregnancy and perinatal outcomes of women with COVID19 pneumonia: A preliminary analysis. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020;215(1):127-32. PMid:32186894

Chen H, Guo J, Wang C, Luo F, Yu X, Zhang W, et al. Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine pregnant women: A retrospective review of medical records. Lancet. 2020;395(10226):809-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30360-3 PMid:32151335

Thomson G, Ebisch-Burton K, Flacking R. “Shame if you do-shame if you don’t: Women’s experiences of infant feeding. Matern Child Nutr. 2015;11(1):33-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/ mcn.12148 PMid:25138617

World Health Organization. Psychosocial Support for Pregnant Women and for Families with Microcephaly and other Neurological Complications in the Context of Zika Virus: Interim Guidance for Health-care Providers. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2016.

Alipour Z, Kheirabadi GR, Kazemi A, Fooladi M. “The most important risk factors affecting mental health during pregnancy: A systematic review. East Mediterr Health J. 2018;24(6):549-59. https://doi.org/10.26719/2018.24.6.549 PMid:30079950

Shapiro GD, Fraser WD, Frasch MG, Seguin JR. Psychosocial stress in pregnancy and preterm birth: Associations and mechanisms. J Perinat Med. 2013;41(6):631-45. https://doi. org/10.1515/jpm-2012-0295 PMid:24216160

Qiao Y, Wang J, Li J, Wang J. Effects of depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy on pregnant, obstetric and neonatal outcomes: A follow-up study. J Obstet Gynecol. 2012;32(3):237- 40. https://doi.org/10.3109/01443615.2011.647736 PMid:22369395

Zeng Y, Cui Y, Li J. Prevalence and predictors of antenatal depressive symptoms among Chinese women in their third trimester: A cross-sectional survey. BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-015-0452-7 PMid:25879965

Elovainio M, Hakulinen C, Pulkki-Råback L, Virtanen M, Josefsson K, Jokela M, et al. Contribution of risk factors to excess mortality in isolated and lonely individuals: An analysis of data from the UK Biobank cohort study. Lancet Public Health. 2017;2(6):e260-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/ s2468-2667(17)30075-0 PMid:28626828

Kalcev G, Preti A, Orrù G, Carta MG. Mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action. Open Public Health J 2020;13:411-2. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874944502013010411

Lebel C, MacKinnon A, Bagshawe M, Tomfohr-Madsen L, Giesbrecht G. Elevated Depression and Anxiety among Pregnant Individuals during the COVID-19 Pandemic (PsyArXiv Preprints); 2020. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/gdhkt

Duranku F, Aksu E. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depressive symptoms in pregnant women: A preliminary study. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2020;1:1-7. PMid:32419558

Saccone G, Florio A, Aiello F, Venturella R, De Angelis MC, Locci M, et al. Psychological impact of coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnant women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):293-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.003 PMid:32387321

Huntley BJ, Huntley ES, Di Mascio D, Chen T, Berghella V, Chauhan SP. Rates of maternal and perinatal mortality and vertical transmission in pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Co-V-2) infection: A systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. 2020;136:303- 12. https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000004010 PMid:32516273

Yang Y, Li W, Zhang Q, Zhang L, Cheung T, Xiang YT. Mental health services for older adults in China during the COVID- 19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(4):e19. https://doi. org/10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30079-1 PMid:32085843

Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395(10227):912-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/ s0140-6736(20)30460-8

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health. United Kingdom: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; 2016. https://doi.org/10.1093/ ww/9780199540884.013.u13729