Pregnant women voice their concerns and birth expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.
Claudia Ravaldi, Alyce Wilson, Valdo Ricca and 2 others
PMID 32684343WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women in Italy reported more fear, sadness, loneliness and anxiety about childbirth after COVID-19 began.
They worried more about partners, babies and elderly relatives than themselves, especially if they had prior mental health history.
Key findings
01Fear was the most common reported emotion about childbirth after the pandemic began (98 of 200, 49.0%), while joy was most common before (126 of 200, 63.0%).
02On a 0 to 3 concern scale, women reported higher concern for elderly relatives (2.62 ± 0.59) and partner (2.48 ± 0.61) than for their own health (2.07 ± 0.75).
03Women with a history of psychological distress reported higher concern for own health (2.21 ± 0.71 versus 1.98 ± 0.77) and partner health (2.63 ± 0.59 versus 2.40 ± 0.61).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Women self-selected into an online survey distributed through a perinatal loss charity, so the sample may not represent all pregnant women in Italy. The report analyses only 200 pregnant women from the first wave, so it is preliminary. Women were asked after the pandemic began to recall their expectations before the pandemic, which can make pre-pandemic feelings seem more positive than they were. The study describes reported concerns and emotions; it does not diagnose anxiety or depression, and it cannot show that specific pandemic restrictions caused these changes.
Declared interests
CiaoLapo Foundation, a charity for perinatal loss support, provided infrastructure including software and web platforms. The authors state no researcher received grants, salary or reimbursements. The journal's Editor in Chief is a co-author, and the Deputy Editor managed the paper.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the shift from joy to fear as proof that the pandemic caused a clinical mental health disorder or that specific maternity policies will improve birth outcomes. The study was a self-selected survey of 200 pregnant women who reported pre-pandemic expectations after the pandemic began, so it describes concerns and expectations, not tested effects.