Perception of COVID-19, distress, depression, and anxiety among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between the mental health of pregnant women and their perception of COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, from December to January 2021, stress, anxiety, depression, and perception of causes of COVID-19 were mea- sured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Perception of Causes of COVID-19 Scales. Results: A total of 300 pregnant women with a median age of 29 years (range: 19– 39) were included. Anxiety, depression, and stress and age were mildly correlated (r=0.117, p=0.043). With regard to the development of mental problems in babies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 43.8% of pregnant women had severe anxiety lev- els, while 31.3% had no anxiety (p=0.011). Pregnant women who had anxiety about development of anomaly in babies due to COVID-19 pandemic had significantly se- vere depression levels (p=0.011). Severe stress was found to be higher in pregnant women who had anxiety about miscarriage due to COVID-19 pandemic (p=0.016). No significant correlation was found between the DASS-21 subscales and the per- ception of causes of COVID-19 subscales. Conclusion: The present study found that a majority of women experienced elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and depression caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Pregnant women experienced high levels of depressive symptoms about the development of their baby will be adversely affected by the pandemic. We also found higher levels of stress in pregnant women who were worried about miscarriage due to COVID-19 pandemic. Our research did not find a relationship between the mental well-being of pregnant women and COVID-19 perception.