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. 2022 Apr 15;11(8):2212.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11082212.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Maternal Well-Being during Pregnancy

Rosalia Pascal  1   2 , Francesca Crovetto  1   3   4 , Irene Casas  1 , Lina Youssef  1 , Cristina Trilla  5 , Marta Larroya  1 , Alex Cahuana  1 , David Boada  1 , Maria Foraster  6 , Elisa Llurba  2   5 , Jordi Sunyer  6 , Fàtima Crispi  1   4   7 , Eduard Gratacos  1   3   4   7 , María Dolores Gómez-Roig  1   2   3
Affiliations

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Maternal Well-Being during Pregnancy

Rosalia Pascal et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

The outbreak of a pandemic has negative psychological effects. We aimed to determine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic during pregnancy and identify the risk factors for maternal well-being. A multicenter, prospective, population-based study was carried out that included women (n = 1320) who were pregnant during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Barcelona (Spain) compared against a pre-pandemic cohort (n = 345). Maternal well-being was assessed using the validated World Health Organization Well-Being Index Questionnaire (WHO-5 Index). Pregnant women attended during the COVID-19 pandemic showed worst WHO-5 well-being scores (median (IQR) of 56 (36−72) for the pandemic cohort vs. 64 (52−76) for the pre-pandemic cohort p < 0.001), with 42.8% of women presenting a poor well-being score vs. 28% for the pre-pandemic cohort (p < 0.001). Presence of a previous psychiatric disorder (OR 7.1; 95% CI 2.6−19, p < 0.001), being in the third trimester of pregnancy (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.5−2, p < 0.001), or requiring hospital admission for COVID-19 (OR 4.7; 95% CI 1.4−16.7, p = 0.014), significantly contributed to low maternal well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic (multivariate analysis). Being infected by SARS-CoV-2 was not associated with a lower well-being score. We conclude that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were higher rates of poor maternal well-being; the infection of SARS-CoV-2 itself did not worsen maternal well-being, but other factors as psychiatric disorders, being in the third trimester of pregnancy or hospital admission for COVID-19 disease did.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; anxiety; depression; pandemic; pregnancy; psychiatric disorders; well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

Eduard Gratacos reports grants from Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Santander Foundation, and “La Caixa” Foundation during the conduct of the study. Maria Foraster is beneficiary of an AXA Research Fund grant. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
WHO-5 well-being level in pre-pandemic (n = 345) and pandemic (n = 1320) cohorts.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Maternal WHO-5 well-being outcomes for the pandemic cohort.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Maternal WHO-5 well-being outcomes for the pandemic cohort based on the presence of psychiatric disorders (a) and trimester of pregnancy (b).
Figure 3
Figure 3
WHO-5 well-being outcomes for the pandemic cohort based on SARS-CoV-2 infectious status: (a) positive vs. negative women; (b) women hospitalized for moderate-severe COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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