Prenatal stress, health, and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international survey.
Johanna Pope, Ellinor K Olander, Sara Leitao and 2 others
PMID 33757750WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women reported high stress about their pregnancy and the pandemic, but general stress was normal.
They largely stuck to healthy behaviours and public health advice. Stress was predicted by other stress and poor mental health, not by background factors.
Key findings
01Participants reported high levels of pregnancy-specific and COVID-19 related stress, alongside low perceived mental and physical health.
02Most women maintained high adherence to health-promoting behaviours and public health advice, such as avoiding close contact and wearing masks.
03Stress outcomes were primarily predicted by well-being factors like general stress and mental health, rather than by sociodemographic factors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show how stress or behaviours changed over time or establish cause and effect. The sample was largely white, highly educated, married, and resident in high-income countries, which may understate the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on stress and health behaviours. There was no validated scale for COVID-19 related stress at the time, so a new measure was created. Self-reported health behaviours may be influenced by social desirability, meaning participants might have overstated their adherence to advice.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The research was supported by an Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Health Research Board scholarship and fellowship, with funders having no role in the study design, conduct, or analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high adherence to health behaviours means these women are coping well. The study shows they maintained healthy habits despite reporting high pregnancy-specific stress and low mental health, indicating that behavioural compliance does not rule out significant psychological distress.