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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
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Maternal mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2019 Rio Grande birth cohort

Christian Loret de Mola1,2,3,4,5, Thais Martins-Silva1,3,4, Marina X Carpena1,3

  • 1Grupo de Pesquisa e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.

Revista Brasileira De Psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999)
|February 19, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased maternal depression and anxiety in a Brazilian birth cohort. Mental health issues were highest among mothers who lost income during the pandemic.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal mental health research
  • Epidemiology of infectious disease impacts
  • Public health and maternal well-being

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to maternal mental health globally.
  • Pre-existing vulnerabilities may exacerbate mental health issues during public health crises.
  • Understanding pandemic-related mental health shifts in vulnerable populations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify and compare maternal depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To examine mental health changes within a Brazilian birth cohort.
  • To identify specific pandemic-related stressors affecting maternal mental health.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of mothers from a Brazilian birth cohort (2019 births).
  • Baseline sociodemographic and health data collected.
  • Follow-up questionnaires administered online between May-July 2020 using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), and Impact of Event Scale (IES).

Main Results:

  • High prevalence of pandemic-related stress (40.5%), depression (29.3%), and anxiety (25.9%) observed.
  • Mothers reporting income loss showed the highest rates of mental health problems (57.2%).
  • Significant increases in depression (5.7-fold) and anxiety (2.4-fold) compared to baseline (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • A substantial burden of personal distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic was identified.
  • Maternal depression and anxiety rates markedly increased during the pandemic.
  • Income loss emerged as a significant risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes in mothers.
Abstract

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