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Geotemporal analysis of perinatal care changes and maternal mental health: an example from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hendrix, CL; Werchan, D; Lenniger, C; Ablow, JC; Amstadter, AB; Austin, A; Babineau, V; Bogat, GA; Cioffredi, L-A; Conradt, E; Crowell, SE ...
Published in: Arch Womens Ment Health
October 2022

Our primary objective was to document COVID-19 induced changes to perinatal care across the USA and examine the implication of these changes for maternal mental health. We performed an observational cross-sectional study with convenience sampling using direct patient reports from 1918 postpartum and 3868 pregnant individuals collected between April 2020 and December 2020 from 10 states across the USA. We leverage a subgroup of these participants who gave birth prior to March 2020 to estimate the pre-pandemic prevalence of specific birthing practices as a comparison. Our primary analyses describe the prevalence and timing of perinatal care changes, compare perinatal care changes depending on when and where individuals gave birth, and assess the linkage between perinatal care alterations and maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms. Seventy-eight percent of pregnant participants and 63% of postpartum participants reported at least one change to their perinatal care between March and August 2020. However, the prevalence and nature of specific perinatal care changes occurred unevenly over time and across geographic locations. The separation of infants and mothers immediately after birth and the cancelation of prenatal visits were associated with worsened depression and anxiety symptoms in mothers after controlling for sociodemographic factors, mental health history, number of pregnancy complications, and general stress about the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analyses reveal widespread changes to perinatal care across the US that fluctuated depending on where and when individuals gave birth. Disruptions to perinatal care may also exacerbate mental health concerns, so focused treatments that can mitigate the negative psychiatric sequelae of interrupted care are warranted.

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Published In

Arch Womens Ment Health

DOI

EISSN

1435-1102

Publication Date

October 2022

Volume

25

Issue

5

Start / End Page

943 / 956

Location

Austria

Related Subject Headings

  • Psychiatry
  • Pregnancy
  • Perinatal Care
  • Pandemics
  • Mental Health
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Depression
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Hendrix, C. L., Werchan, D., Lenniger, C., Ablow, J. C., Amstadter, A. B., Austin, A., … Thomason, M. E. (2022). Geotemporal analysis of perinatal care changes and maternal mental health: an example from the COVID-19 pandemic. Arch Womens Ment Health, 25(5), 943–956. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01252-6
Hendrix, Cassandra L., Denise Werchan, Carly Lenniger, Jennifer C. Ablow, Ananda B. Amstadter, Autumn Austin, Vanessa Babineau, et al. “Geotemporal analysis of perinatal care changes and maternal mental health: an example from the COVID-19 pandemic.Arch Womens Ment Health 25, no. 5 (October 2022): 943–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01252-6.
Hendrix CL, Werchan D, Lenniger C, Ablow JC, Amstadter AB, Austin A, et al. Geotemporal analysis of perinatal care changes and maternal mental health: an example from the COVID-19 pandemic. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2022 Oct;25(5):943–56.
Hendrix, Cassandra L., et al. “Geotemporal analysis of perinatal care changes and maternal mental health: an example from the COVID-19 pandemic.Arch Womens Ment Health, vol. 25, no. 5, Oct. 2022, pp. 943–56. Pubmed, doi:10.1007/s00737-022-01252-6.
Hendrix CL, Werchan D, Lenniger C, Ablow JC, Amstadter AB, Austin A, Babineau V, Bogat GA, Cioffredi L-A, Conradt E, Crowell SE, Dumitriu D, Elliott AJ, Fifer W, Firestein M, Gao W, Gotlib I, Graham A, Gregory KD, Gustafsson H, Havens KL, Hockett C, Howell BR, Humphreys KL, Jallo N, King LS, Kinser PA, Levendosky AA, Lonstein JS, Lucchini M, Marcus R, Monk C, Moyer S, Muzik M, Nuttall AK, Potter AS, Rogers C, Salisbury A, Shuffrey LC, Smith BA, Smyser CD, Smith L, Sullivan E, Zhou J, Brito NH, Thomason ME. Geotemporal analysis of perinatal care changes and maternal mental health: an example from the COVID-19 pandemic. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2022 Oct;25(5):943–956.
Journal cover image

Published In

Arch Womens Ment Health

DOI

EISSN

1435-1102

Publication Date

October 2022

Volume

25

Issue

5

Start / End Page

943 / 956

Location

Austria

Related Subject Headings

  • Psychiatry
  • Pregnancy
  • Perinatal Care
  • Pandemics
  • Mental Health
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Depression