Perceived social support and prenatal wellbeing; The mediating effects of loneliness and repetitive negative thinking on anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that low social support causes loneliness, repetitive negative thinking, depression or anxiety. It did not compare women before and after the pandemic, so it cannot isolate the effect of COVID-19. The sample was a convenience sample and was mostly white, educated, over 25, partnered and regular technology users, so it may not represent all pregnant women. All key variables were self-report questionnaires, not clinical interviews, so symptoms may be over- or under-stated. Pregnancy information was collected from only 158 participants because of an error, so trimester and first-time mother data are incomplete. Participants may have volunteered because they were already distressed, and depression and anxiety scores were high for a community sample.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and the research did not receive any specific grant funding.

Do not read this as proof that reducing loneliness or repetitive negative thinking prevents or treats prenatal depression and anxiety. The study measured associations at one time point and did not test an intervention.