The Psychobehavioral Responses of Pregnant Women towards the COVID-19 Pandemic
Journal Title: Women's Health Science Journal - Year 2022, Vol 6, Issue 1
Abstract
Psychological distress during pregnancy can have adverse effects on both maternal and fetal wellbeing. It is a well-known fact that it increases risk of preterm deliveries and low birth weight babies. The objective of this study is to determine the psychological responses of pregnant women towards the COVID-19 outbreak, by assessing the degree of stress, anxiety, and depression among these pregnant women. This study is a cross-sectional study, utilizing a five-part questionnaire exploring patients’ sociodemographic background, level of knowledge and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic utilizing the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). In addition, the study also aims to evaluate the rate of vaccination among pregnant women attending antenatal care in our center. Respondents are recruited from the Antenatal Clinic, Patient Assessment Center (PAC), and maternity wards of the University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia. The result shows that the percentage of pregnant mothers with significant psychological distress is low at 1%, further scrutiny showed that the level of anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is substantial, whereby half of them reported an abnormal score, 5.4 % and 7.9 % of them reported to be having severe and extremely severe levels of anxiety respectively. Risk factors for anxiety include higher education level, being a first time mothers and having significant complications in the current pregnancy. Good stress management, family support and vaccination may have resulted in a lower degree of stress among pregnant women; however the level of anxiety is significantly higher. The result should help maternity care providers to strategize and implement appropriate screening and interventions to prevent significant deterioration in maternal mental health which subsequently could translate into poor pregnancy and fetal related outcomes.
Authors and Affiliations
Sulaiman S and Azman A*
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP746518
- DOI 10.23880/whsj-16000163
- Views 104
- Downloads 0
Correlation between Insulin Resistance and Steroid Endometrial Receptors, KI-67 and BCL-2 after Menopause
Introduction: After menopause, the distribution of weight gain and fat deposits may be altered, with a predominance of abdominal fat. This fat has been correlated with the appearance of metabolic and neoplastic diseases....
Assessment of Knowledge of Cervical Cancer Transmission and Prevention among the Mothers of Daughters Aged Below 10 Years
Introduction: Cervical Cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. It is one of the few preventable human cancers. Maternal knowledge is required for vaccination of their adolescent girls because they...
The Availability and Effectiveness of Lactation Rooms Usage in Shopping Centers (Case Study in Metropolitan Jakarta)
Backgrounds: World Health Assembly stated that 41% of infants less than 6 months are exclusively breastfed, whereas the global rate target is at least 50% by 2025. Indonesia’s rate of exclusive breastfeeding was 68.7% in...
Carcinoma of Vagina in Women with Utero Vaginal Prolapse: Presentation of Two Cases and the Review of Literature
Primary vaginal cancer in women with utero vaginal prolapse is an uncommon entity. We report two women with longstanding third degree prolapse presented with ulcerated lesions. Both had vaginal hysterectomy and anterior...
The Flagellate Transition- Serous Carcinoma Ovary
Serous ovarian tumours are engendered from Mullerian epithelium and denominate a segment of surface epithelial-stromal ovarian tumours. Serous ovarian carcinoma is classified as low grade tumefaction comprising of benign...