Anxiety and depression in pregnant women during pandemic: Study

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 1 February 2022

There was a spike in depression and anxiety in expectant mums due to the COVID-19 pandemic, claims a new study by the University of Essex.

The senior author, Dr Silvia Rigato, said it was vital to "protect maternal wellbeing during pregnancy and beyond" and "to ensure that all children, and their new families, are given the best possible start in life". 

With anxiety rates also jumping up 37 per cent, the study found there was a spike in reported depression rates of 30 per cent from pre-pandemic levels. Before the vaccination programme rolled out, the peer-reviewed study of 150 women took place between April 2020 and January 2021 and was led by researchers at the Essex Babylab in the University of Essex Dr Maria Laura Filippetti and Dr Rigato. 

The paper showed that prenatal trauma can significantly amplify vulnerability to mental health problems. Dr Rigato said: "While this result is in line with previous observations that women's mood during pregnancy influences the early relationship with her child, it reinforces the need for authorities to support women throughout their pregnancy and the postnatal period in order to protect their health and their infants' development." 

Dr Filippetti said more must be done to help women during this vulnerable time in their lives. She said, "The high rates of depression and anxiety during the pandemic highlighted by our study suggest that expectant women are facing a mental health crisis that can significantly interfere and impair mother-infant bonding during pregnancy, and can potentially impact on childbirth outcome, as well as later infant and child development."