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. 2024 Jul 10:15:1393737.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1393737. eCollection 2024.

Postpartum depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: an umbrella review and meta-analyses

Ali Sahebi  1   2 , Maryam Kheiry  2 , Kame Abdi  3 , Mahla Qomi  4 , Mohamad Golitaleb  5   6
Affiliations

Postpartum depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: an umbrella review and meta-analyses

Ali Sahebi et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased anxiety, stress, and depression, which could have harmful consequences for pregnant women. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of postpartum depression during COVID-19 using an umbrella review and meta-analysis.

Methods: The current study followed the PRISMA guideline and utilized data from various sources such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The searches were conducted without a time limit until the end of May 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model, heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 index, and publication bias was evaluated using Begg's test. Data analysis was carried out using STATA software (version 15).

Results: In this study, 243 articles were initially identified. Only meta-analysis studies that reported PPD during COVID-19 were included. After quality assessment, nine papers were selected for the meta-analysis stage. The study found that the prevalence postpartum depression (PPD) was 25.27% (95% CI = 23.66-27.86, I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.549).

Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that the incidence of PPD during the COVID-19 pandemic was relatively high. To decrease mental health issues among pregnant and postpartum women, healthcare professionals should implement community programs aimed at preventing, promptly identifying, and providing appropriate intervention for pregnant women. This is crucial as pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress during infectious disease outbreaks.

Keywords: COVID-19; mental disorders; postpartum depression; prevalence; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the selection of studies based on PRISMA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The forest plot of overall and individual prevalence of PPD in the studies with 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Publication bias based on Begg test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sensitivity analysis for the prevalence of PPD during COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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