The Effect of COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy on ‎Maternal Psychological Health

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Obstetrics and Gynecology department, Armed Forces College Of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt

2 Obstetrics and Gynecology, Armed Forces College Of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background: ‎

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and stress all ‎over the world, especially among pregnant women who worry about their health and the safety of their ‎fetus. The mental and physical changes that take place during the transitional stage of pregnancy may ‎cause pregnant women, in particular, to have a lower quality of life. Given the ubiquity of the virus and the ‎damage it causes to people's minds, it is crucial to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the mental ‎health of pregnant women.‎

Methods:‎

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Masr El Gedida Military Hospital and Ain Shams Maternity ‎Hospital on 824 pregnant women with a previous COVID-19 infection from March 2020 to December ‎‎2021. A report form was used by the researcher to collect basic clinical data. Each participant was asked to ‎complete the Arabic version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised questionnaire. ‎

Results: ‎

The mean age of the participants was 25.67 years. Only 13.5% of participants had a normal level of ‎psychological impact, whereas the highest percentage had a light psychological impact (51.9%). The total ‎score of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised questionnaire negatively correlated with both age and parity, ‎as the correlation was statistically significant (r = - 0.236, p < 0.001 and r = - 0.421, p < 0.001, respectively).‎

Conclusion: ‎

Women were infected with COVID-19 at any point during their pregnancies had an unfavorable ‎psychological impact that should be addressed further.‎

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