Health anxiety, death anxiety and coronaphobia: Predictors of postpartum depression symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ana-Maria Andrei, Rebecca Webb, Violeta Enea
PMID 37276749WHAT IT FOUND
Among 1024 Romanian postpartum mothers, 67.6% had postpartum depression symptoms, and health anxiety, death anxiety, and coronavirus anxiety were associated with higher symptom scores.
The study cannot show these anxieties caused postpartum depression symptoms.
Key findings
0167.6% of mothers reported postpartum depression symptoms, with 56.3% in the moderate to severe range.
0226.7% of mothers scored above the cut-off for health anxiety, and 62.7% scored above the cut-off for death anxiety.
03Health anxiety, coronavirus anxiety, and death anxiety each predicted higher postpartum depression symptom scores after demographic variables.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that health anxiety, death anxiety, or coronavirus anxiety caused postpartum depression symptoms. Participants were recruited online and were mostly university-educated, married, employed, and higher income, so findings may not apply to more vulnerable mothers, such as those with low income or limited technology access. Postpartum depression was measured with a self-report screening scale, not a clinical diagnosis, so the paper reports symptoms rather than confirmed depression. The sample was limited to mothers in Romania during wave three of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may not generalise to other settings or times.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and the research did not receive a specific grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that health anxiety, death anxiety, or coronavirus anxiety caused postpartum depression symptoms, or that treating these anxieties will reduce depression. The study measured associations at one time point, used self-report symptoms rather than diagnosis, and recruited an online sample that was mostly university-educated, employed, and higher income.