Delivery During Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Obstetrics, Maternal Psychopathology, and Mother-Infant Relationship

Delivery During Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Obstetrics, Maternal Psychopathology, and Mother-Infant Relationship in the Shadow of a Socioeconomic Crisis

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about unprecedented social, economic and mental-health challenges, especially for vulnerable populations such as pregnant and post-partum females. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relations between the fear of COVID-19 and postnatal depression symptoms.

This is a multicenter prospective cohort study of childbearing women during COVID-19. Participants completed a comprehensive online questionnaire including demographic, socioeconomic, obstetric, and postnatal mental-health questionnaires. Data were verified with each center's perinatal database and information regarding physiological stress during pregnancy/birth was also collected. Fear of COVID-19 was evaluated using the validated Fear of COVID-19 Scale and postnatal depression was evaluated using the EPDS. Pre-existing maternal disability was defined as prior physiological or psychological chronic health condition.

Inclusion Criteria:

• women who delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic at the site, since 01-March-2020

Exclusion Criteria:

• women age 18 and below
• Gestational age under 34 weeks
• Intra Uterine Fetal Demise
• Ante-partum Fetal Demise
• Maternal post partum death