COVID-19 and Social Support of Pre- and Postnatal Mothers

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

Abstract

Introduction: The pre- and postnatal period is a time of significant change and vulnerability and individuals tend to rely heavily on social structures for support (Gabbe et al., 2017; Baker & Yang, 2018). However, restrictions on in-person interactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic may result in lower quality of social support.

Poor social support at a time of greatest need could negatively affect maternal well-being. Social support is protective in reducing risk of depression (Zhong et al., 2018; Xie et al., 2010), and promoting mental wellbeing (Ginja et al., 2018) for those who are pregnant or postpartum. A lack of social support together with increased isolation could therefore contribute to a host of negative maternal health outcomes.

Hypotheses: We hypothesize that 1) a greater percentage of pregnant and postpartum individuals will rely on virtual support than in-person support, 2) they will receive support more from close contacts than outside community members and 3) when compared to pre-pandemic social support, pregnant and postpartum individuals will identify reduced quality of support during the pandemic.

Study population: We recruited participants who were currently pregnant or identified as mother of a child under 6 months of age, largely from the Los Angeles, California region.

Methods: Participants were invited to complete a one-time ~ 20-minute online survey via web link. We recruited participants using ResearchMatch.org, email lists and social media advertisements. To describe social support in this population, we asked how they are trying to meet their needs for social support and who they are receiving social support from. Then, participants ranked their prior and current level of social support on a 7-point Likert scale, with 1 meaning “Not very well supported” and 7 meaning “Very well supported”.

Results: In total, 322 participants (208 pregnant and 114 postpartum) completed the survey.

Our data supported our three hypotheses. During the pandemic, the majority of individuals surveyed (72-82%) met their needs for social support virtually, via phone, email, text message, and video calls, compared to 24.5% who met their needs in-person. Over 90% relied on friends or family for social support; less than 20% relied on religious communities, community organizations, or healthcare providers (Table 1). Before the pandemic, the median reported level of social support was a 6 with a mode of 7. During the pandemic, the median and mode level of social support was a 5. The distribution of social support levels differed significantly before and during pandemic (χ² = 36.834, df = 6, p < 0.001), with individuals feeling less socially supported during the pandemic (Figure 4).

Conclusion: Those who are pregnant or postpartum during the pandemic use more virtual than in-person means of social support, and more so with close contacts such as family and friends. This shows that they can seek alternative methods to meet their social needs. However, they do not feel as well supported during the pandemic compared to before, which may place this population at increased risk for depression and poor mental wellbeing.

Authors

• Judy Zhou, University of Southern California
  Presenting Author

• Kathryn Havens, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine Starnes, Belmont University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Beth A Smith, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles/University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author