Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant Black Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Carmen Giurgescu, Ana Carolina Wong, Brooke Rengers and 7 others
PMID 34549653WHAT IT FOUND
Stress and depressive symptoms did not change from before to during the pandemic, but loneliness was linked to higher stress, depressive symptoms and lower support among 33 pregnant Black women.
Key findings
01Higher loneliness during the pandemic was associated with higher perceived stress, higher depressive symptoms and lower social support.
02Perceived stress, depressive symptoms and social support did not differ significantly between the pre-pandemic and pandemic surveys.
0324.2% of women had CES-D scores ≥23 during the pandemic.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysed sample was small, with 33 women from a convenience sample of 66 invited women. Not all invited women completed the survey: 66 were invited, 35 completed it, and 33 were analysed. The pre-pandemic survey was collected from December 2019 to March 2020, after the virus was already known, so it may not represent a true pre-pandemic baseline. The pandemic survey was done in May-June 2020, during social unrest in the U.S., which may have affected stress and depressive symptoms. The COVID-19 stress and anxiety question asked about stress and anxiety together, so responses may not separate the two. The study measured associations and cannot show cause.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflict-of-interest or funding statement. The article is marked as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the pandemic increased stress or depression in these women. Their pandemic scores did not differ significantly from their pre-pandemic scores.