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COVID-19 Crisis and Pregnancy Experiences

Fri, April 9, 11:35am to 1:05pm EDT (11:35am to 1:05pm EDT), Virtual

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Pregnancy involves a series of cascading psychophysiological changes in women (Woods et al., 2010), partly originating from the biological changes occurring in the body (Sieber et al., 2006) and partly from the surrounding social context (Brunton, 2013). These drastic changes have been associated to maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression (Field et al., 2006; Paulson & Bazemore, 2010), that appear to have important implications for infant development (Van den Bergh et al., 2017). In line with the fetal programming notion, a mother’s prenatal distress may lead to long-term or permanent effects for offspring developmental outcomes (Godfrey & Barker, 2001). But what happens when you add to the pregnancy experience that of a global pandemic, such as COVID-19 outbreak, with the stringent social distancing restrictions, uncertainty for the future, and changes in the healthcare system? This symposium delves into pregnancy experiences of women in times of Corona. An expert panel of speakers will present the findings of studies on prenatal psychological complaints, as well as on protecting and exacerbating factors for maternal mental wellbeing, carried out at the peak of the Corona crisis and across different countries. Furthermore, given the large scale of the problem we are facing, this symposium will illustrate world-wide efforts made to harmonize data collection during COVID-19 and future endeavors for multi-site collaborations, in order to advance our knowledge in an efficient and timely manner. This symposium will offer unique insights for future research, preventive interventions, healthcare professionals and policymakers, to support the health of the next generation.

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