Depression, anxiety, and stress in pregnancy and postpartum: A longitudinal study during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emily P Rabinowitz, Lindsay A Kutash, Alexis L Richeson and 3 others
PMID 36972668WHAT IT FOUND
Stress stayed elevated from pregnancy to one month postpartum, while depression and anxiety declined.
At one month, 31.33% reported moderate anxiety and 19.30% reported moderate depression.
Key findings
01Depression and anxiety symptoms declined from pregnancy through one-month postpartum, while stress remained consistently elevated over time.
02Depression and anxiety followed a curved course, beginning to decrease at about 25 weeks for depression and 23 weeks for anxiety.
03Lower social support, younger age, and higher worry about going to a healthcare facility predicted higher one-month postpartum depression, anxiety, and stress; the paper reported routine change, pregnancy risk, and parity did not predict symptoms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was recruited from Facebook groups in the United States, so it may not represent women who do not use online pregnancy groups. The final sample was mostly white (81%) and married (73%). Only 28 women had first-trimester data, so early pregnancy estimates are less stable. Retention fell to 49% at one-month postpartum, and the average participant completed only two time points. The study used self-report questionnaires, not clinical diagnoses, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale suicide item was removed. The authors noted that the decline in depression and anxiety was small and may not be clinically important. Pregnancy risk was overrepresented compared with cited U.S. prevalence ranges, and race/ethnicity could not be examined as predictors. State-level COVID-19 policies varied during the study period, which may have affected symptoms. The text and tables differ on high-risk pregnancy: the text says pregnancy risk was not predictive, while the tables report a significant association with depression.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that mental health symptoms worsened steadily across pregnancy. Depression and anxiety declined from pregnancy to one month postpartum, while stress stayed elevated.