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. 2022 Apr 1;22(1):274.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04579-1.

Coping with Covid-19: stress, control and coping among pregnant women in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic

Sarah Crowe  1 , Kiran Sarma  2
Affiliations

Coping with Covid-19: stress, control and coping among pregnant women in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic

Sarah Crowe et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between perceived control, coping and psychological distress among pregnant women in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is hypothesised that lower levels of perceived control, greater use of avoidant coping and greater Covid-19 related pregnancy concern will be associated with psychological distress. In addition, it is hypothesised that the relationship between Covid-19 related pregnancy concern and psychological distress will be moderated by perceived control and avoidant coping.

Method: The study is cross-sectional, utilizing an online questionnaire, which was completed by 761 women in January 2021. The questionnaire includes measures of perceived control, coping style, perceived stress, anxiety and depression.

Results: Correlation analyses found that lower levels of perceived control were associated with higher levels of avoidant coping and psychological distress. There was also a significant positive relationship between avoidant coping and psychological distress. Using multiple regression, perceived control, avoidant coping and Covid-19 related pregnancy concern were found to predict 51% of the variance in psychological distress. However, in the moderation analysis, perceived control and avoidant coping were not found to moderate the relationship between Covid-19 related pregnancy concern and psychological distress.

Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that pregnant women in Ireland are experiencing increased levels of psychological distress during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings also suggest that perceptions of control and avoidant coping are associated with psychological distress in this group and could be used as intervention targets.

Keywords: Control; Coping; Covid-19; Pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Moderating Effect of Control and Coping on Covid-19 Effect on Pregnancy Concern and Psychological Distress. * Significant at the 0.05 level. **Significant at the 0.01 level
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Moderating Effect of Control and Coping on Covid-19 Infection Concern and Psychological Distress. * Significant at the 0.05 level
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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