Journal of South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Register      Login

VOLUME 14 , ISSUE 2 ( March-April, 2022 ) > List of Articles

Original Article

A Cross-sectional Study to Assess the Anxiety and Depression among Perinatal Mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Payal B Ray, Mayoukh K Chakraborty, Suprokas Hazra

Keywords : Antenatal, COVID-19, Perinatal outcome

Citation Information : Ray PB, Chakraborty MK, Hazra S. A Cross-sectional Study to Assess the Anxiety and Depression among Perinatal Mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J South Asian Feder Obs Gynae 2022; 14 (2):106-110.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10006-2037

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 21-06-2022

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2022; The Author(s).


Abstract

Purpose: Pregnancy, with its associated hormonal changes, leads to an increased risk of mental health problems. These are likely to be worsened by the socioeconomic effects of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to find out the proportion of anxiety and depression in perinatal women and the associated risk factors during the pandemic in India, where mental health is a neglected domain. Methods: In a cross-sectional study spanning from March 2020 to July 2021, 124 patients who were pregnant or had delivered within 1 year were selected. The survey collected sociodemographic information and assessed the severity of anxiety and depression using the pretested and validated generalized anxiety disorder 7 and patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. The results were analyzed by suitable statistical tools and techniques. Results: Elevated anxiety and depression symptoms compared to similar pre-pandemic perinatal cohorts were observed. Anxiety (GAD), depression and both anxiety and depression were diagnosed in 31 (25%), 36 (29.03%), and 21 (16.94%) participants, respectively. Higher symptoms of anxiety and depression were associated with more concern about threats of COVID-19 to the life of mother and baby, concerns about not getting necessary medical and obstetric care during the lockdown, social isolation, and unemployment during a pandemic. Support and compassionate behavior of treating doctor was associated with lower psychological symptoms. Conclusion: COVID pandemic has had a definite impact on the mental health of perinatal mothers with elevated levels of anxiety and depression. So clinicians need to be more vigilant in this vulnerable group to facilitate early detection and management of anxiety and depression to prevent further morbidities in mother and her offspring.


PDF Share
  1. NICE guidelines CG192: antenatal and postnatal mental health. 2014.
  2. 20% of depressed Indians are pregnant or new mums: NIMHANS study. TOI; 2016.
  3. Fisher J, Cabral de MelloM, Patel V, et al. Prevalence and determinants of common perinatal mental disorders in women in low- and lowe-middle-income countries: a systematic review. Bull World Health Organ 2012;90(2):139G–149G. DOI: 10.2471/BLT.11.091850.
  4. Khoury JE, Atkinson L, Bennett T, et al. COVID-19 and mental health during pregnancy: the importance of cognitive appraisal and social support. J Affect Disord 2021;282:1161. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.027.
  5. WHO. Maternal mental health and child health and development in low and middle income countries: report of the meeting. Geneva: WHO; 2008.
  6. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, et al. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med 2006;166(10):1092–1097. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.
  7. Kroenke K, Spitzer R, Williams J. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med 2001;16(9):606–613. DOI: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x.
  8. George C, Lalitha A, Antony A, et al. Antenatal depression in coastal South India prevalence and risk factors in the community. Int J Psychiatry 2016;62(2):141–147. DOI: 10.1177/0020764015607919.
  9. Jyothi Kantipudi S, Kannan GK, Viswanathan S, et al. Antenatal depression and generalized anxiety disorder in a tertiary hospital in South India. Indian J Psychol Med 2020;42(6):513–518. DOI: 10.1177/0253717620928440.
  10. Goyal S, Gupta B, Sharma E, et al. Psychiatric morbidity, cultural factors, and health-seeking behaviour in perinatal women: a cross sectional study from a tertiary care centre of North India. Indian J Psychol Med 2020;42(1):52–60. DOI: 10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_96_19.
  11. Rich-Edwards JW, Kleinman K, Abrams A, et al. Sociodemographic predictors of antenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms among women in a medical group practice. J Epidemiol Community Health 2006;60(3):221–227. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2005.039370.
  12. Srinivasan N, Murthy S, Singh AK, et al. Assessment of burden of depression during pregnancy among pregnant women residing in rural setting of Chennai. J Clin Diagn Res 2015;9(4):LC08–LC12. DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2015/12380.5850.
  13. Biaggi A, Conroy S, Pawlby S, et al. Identifying the women at risk of antenatal anxiety and depression: a systematic review. J Affect Disord 2016;191:62–77. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.11.014.
  14. Basu A, Kim HH, Basaldua R, et al. A cross national study of factors associated with women's perinatal mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2021;16(4):e0249780. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249780.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.