Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2021 Dec;43(12):932-939.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1740234. Epub 2021 Dec 21.

Increased Risk for Maternal Anxiety during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Brazil among Pregnant Women without Comorbidities

Roseli Mieko Yamamoto Nomura  1 , Ana Carla Franco Ubinha  1 , Isabela de Paula Tavares  1 , Maria Laura Costa  2 , Maria Lucia da Rocha Opperman  3 , Marianna Facchinetti Brock  4 , Alberto Trapani Jr  5 , Lia Cruz Vaz da Costa Damásio  6 , Nadia Stella Viegas Reis  7 , Vera Therezinha Medeiros Borges  8 , Alberto Carlos Moreno Zaconeta  9 , Ana Cristina Pinheiro Fernandes de Araujo  10 , Rodrigo Ruano  11
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Increased Risk for Maternal Anxiety during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Brazil among Pregnant Women without Comorbidities

Roseli Mieko Yamamoto Nomura et al. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2021 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Objective: To study maternal anxiety in pregnant women without comorbidities in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil and to study maternal knowledge and concerns about the pandemic.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis from a national multicenter cross-sectional study performed in 10 cities, from June to August, 2020, in Brazil. Interviewed postpartum women, without medical or obstetrical comorbidities, were included in the present subanalysis. A structured questionnaire and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were applied.

Results: Out of the 1,662 women, 763 (45.9%) met the criteria for the current analysis and 16.1% presented with moderate and 11.5% with severe maternal anxiety. Moderate or severe maternal anxiety was associated with high school education (odds ratio [OR]:1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.04-2.40). The protective factor was cohabiting with a partner (OR: 0.46; 95%CI: 0.29-0.73). There was a positive correlation between the total BAI score and receiving information about care in the pandemic (rpartial 0.15; p < 0.001); concern about vertical transmission of COVID-19 (rpartial 0.10; p = 0.01); receiving information about breastfeeding (rpartial 0.08; p = 0.03); concerns about prenatal care (rpartial 0.10; p = 0.01), and concerns about the baby contracting COVID-19 (rpartial 0.11; p = 0.004). The correlation was negative in the following aspects: self-confidence in protecting from COVID-19 (rpartial 0.08; p = 0.04), having learned (rpartial 0.09; p = 0.01) and self-confidence in breastfeeding (rpartial 0.22; p < 0.001) in the context of the pandemic.

Conclusion: The anxiety of pregnant women without medical or obstetrical comorbidities was associated to high school educational level and not living with a partner during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-confidence in protecting against COVID-19 and knowledge about breastfeeding care during the pandemic reduced maternal anxiety.

Objetivo: Estudar a ansiedade materna em gestantes sem comorbidades no contexto do surto de COVID-19 no Brasil e estudar o conhecimento e as preocupações maternas sobre a pandemia. MéTODOS: Trata-se de análise secundária de um estudo transversal multicêntrico nacional realizado em 10 cidades, de junho a agosto de 2020, no Brasil. Mulheres no pós-parto entrevistadas, sem comorbidades médicas ou obstétricas, foram incluídas nesta subanálise. Foram aplicados um questionário estruturado e o Inventário de Ansiedade de Beck (BAI, na sigla em inglês).

Resultados: Das 1.662 mulheres, 763 (45,9%) atenderam aos critérios da análise atual e 16,1% apresentaram ansiedade materna moderada e 11,5% ansiedade materna grave. A ansiedade materna moderada ou grave foi associada à escolaridade no ensino médio (odds ratio [OR]: 1,58; intervalo de confiança [IC] 95%: 1,04–2,40). O fator protetor foi coabitar com companheiro (OR: 0,46; IC95%: 0,29–0,73). Houve correlação positiva entre a pontuação total do BAI e o recebimento de informações sobre cuidados na pandemia (rparcial 0,15; p < 0,001); preocupação com a transmissão vertical de COVID-19 (rparcial 0,10; p = 0,01); receber informações sobre amamentação (rparcial 0,08; p = 0,03); preocupações sobre cuidados pré-natais (rparcial 0,10; p = 0,01) e preocupações sobre o bebê contrair COVID-19 (rparcial 0,11; p = 0,004). A correlação foi negativa com os seguintes aspectos: ter autoconfiança para se proteger (rparcial 0,08; p = 0,04), aprender (rparcial 0,09; p = 0,01) e ter autoconfiança para amamentar (rparcial 0,22; p < 0,001) no contexto da pandemia. CONCLUSãO: A ansiedade de gestantes sem comorbidades médicas ou obstétricas esteve associada à escolaridade no ensino médio e não morar com companheiro durante a pandemia de COVID-19. A autoconfiança na proteção contra COVID-19 e o conhecimento sobre os cuidados com a amamentação durante a pandemia reduziram a ansiedade materna.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

References

    1. World Health Organization Current outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease [Internet]2021 [cited 2021 Aug 3]. Available from:https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
    1. Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, Wang X, Zhou L, Tong Y. Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-infected pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(13):1199–1207. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001316. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 [Internet]2020 [cited 2021 Aug 3]. Available from:https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-genera...
    1. Ranzani O T, Bastos L SL, Gelli J GM, Marchesi J F, Baião F, Hamacher S. Characterisation of the first 250,000 hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Brazil: a retrospective analysis of nationwide data. Lancet Respir Med. 2021;9(04):407–418. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30560-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brazilian Group for Studies of COVID-19 and Pregnancy . Takemoto M, Menezes M O, Andreucci C B, Knobel R, Sousa L, Katz L. Clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality in obstetric patients with severe COVID-19 in Brazil: a surveillance database analysis. BJOG. 2020;127(13):1618–1626. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16470. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types