SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Pregnant and Puerperal Women: A Systematic Review
Leticia Genova Vieira1, Emerson Lucas Junior Silva Camargo2, *, Guilherme Schneider1, Gabrielly Pereira Rocatti da Silva2, Micaella Thomazini2, Matheus Arantes Possani2, Matheus Rozário Matioli2, Aline Raquel de Sousa Ibiapina3
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2021Volume: 15
Issue: Suppl-1, M13
First Page: 388
Last Page: 398
Publisher ID: TONURSJ-15-388
DOI: 10.2174/1874434602115010388
Article History:
Received Date: 18/8/2020Revision Received Date: 2/12/2020
Acceptance Date: 10/12/2020
Electronic publication date: 15/12/2021
Collection year: 2021
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused negative impacts on the physical and mental health of the population worldwide. Pregnant and puerperal women comprise the population most vulnerable to impacts on mental health.
Objective:
To synthesize the scientific evidence on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pregnant and puerperal women.
Methods:
This systematic review focused on answering the question “what is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pregnant and puerperal women?” In order to perform the search of the studies, we used combinations of keywords: pregnant, puerperal, prenatal, perinatal, mental health, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. We identified 132 studies from the databases and 18 studies from preprints. In total, we elected 14 studies and another four studies by manual search, making up a total of 18 studies, to compose the final sample of this review.
Results:
Anxiety and depression were the main outcomes found, being shown in 15 and 11 studies, respectively. Other outcomes found in more than one study were: concerns related to several factors, loneliness, stress, and fear.
Conclusion:
From this review, we can infer that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of pregnant and puerperal women, with depression and anxiety being the most frequent changes. The social detachment, the media pressure, the fear of contracting the infection, the economic scenario, and the rupture of family rituals are shown as intensifying factors of psychological distress, thus causing changes in the mental health of these women.
