Pregnancy and Parenting During a Pandemic: Mitigating Stress with On-Line Support

• In Event: Maternal Perinatal Mental Health in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Exposure to chronic stress that continuously activates human’s stress response system is often referred to as toxic stress (Franke, 2014). Such stress during pregnancy has devastating effects on women’s pregnancies and birth outcomes, especially among underserved communities (Robinson, et al., 2016). Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated pregnancy-related difficulties (Khoury, et al. 2020), increasing the need to support one of society’s most vulnerable populations – pregnant women and their children. Several factors predict whether one experiences stress as tolerable or toxic, including perceived control, the availability of information about the stressor, and, importantly, accessible social support. With these risk factors in mind, our work has three aims: 1) identify pregnant women experiencing high levels of stress, 2) connect these families with needed services, and 3) follow-up to examine the efficacy of these services.

The Covid-19 and Perinatal Experience (COPE) Study is a prospective, longitudinal investigation. Women enroll when pregnant or the parent of a less than 6-month-old (baseline), and then complete three follow-up surveys. All surveys assess demographic, social, occupational, and health-related concerns regarding the virus, as well as emotional well-being, changes to pre and postnatal medical care, and perceived social support vs. isolation. Importantly, a unique aspect of our project is the assessment of and response to participants’ service needs. If requested, participants are connected with desired services, whether during pregnancy or postnatally. Accordingly, our surveys enable us to deliver services when requested and then, at follow-up, to evaluate how effective these services have been.

With enrollment ongoing, our sample at baseline consists of 49% (n=161) pregnant women and 51% (n=166) new mothers. Of these participants, 28.0% have been involved in online support at baseline (either groups for pregnant women or groups for new moms) while 72.0% were not involved. In keeping with the stress associated with the COVID pandemic, at our first follow-up (1 month after baseline), 41% of women reported that they were now participating in online support while 59% reported that they were not. Generalized linear models (GLM) reveal that women participating in online support groups at baseline report significantly higher symptoms of depression and anxiety (F’s > 4.30; p’s < .04) than women who are not. However, by our first follow-up, there is no significant difference between women’s reported symptoms of depression or anxiety based on whether or not they are participating in online support (F’s < 1.99; p’s > .51). In fact, women who indicated that they were not participating in online support reported a significant increase in their depression (CESD) score (t= 2.91; p=.03) while women in online support groups reported a significant decline in their depression scores (-t= 4.03; p=.009). Analyses are underway to link these results with pregnancy and birth outcomes.

These results could provide important information to help buffer especially vulnerable expectant women and infants from chronic stressors, thus reducing health disparities. Given that this type of pandemic may likely arise again and with greater frequency, such results could improve the lives of millions of vulnerable women and their infants.

Authors

• Jennifer C Ablow, University of Oregon
  Presenting Author

• Emily Little, WellMama
  Non-Presenting Author