Prenatal maternal stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and infant regulatory capacity at 3 months: A longitudinal study.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global traumatic experience for citizens, especially during sensitive time windows of heightened plasticity such as pregnancy and neonatal life. Pandemic-related stress experienced by mothers during pregnancy may act as an early risk factor for infants' regulatory capacity development by altering maternal psychosocial well-being (e.g., increased anxiety, reduced social support) and caregiving environment (e.g., greater parenting stress, impaired mother-infant bonding). The aim of the present longitudinal study was to assess the consequences of pandemic-related prenatal stress on infants' regulatory capacity. A sample of 163 mother-infant dyads was enrolled at eight maternity units in northern Italy. They provided complete data about prenatal stress, perceived social support, postnatal anxiety symptoms, parenting stress, mother-infant bonding, and infants' regulatory capacity at 3 months of age. Women who experienced emotional stress and received partial social support during pregnancy reported higher anxious symptoms. Moreover, maternal postnatal anxiety was indirectly linked to the infants' regulatory capacity at 3 months, mediated by parenting stress and mother-infant bonding. Dedicated preventive interventions should be delivered to mothers and should be focused on protecting the mother-infant dyad from the detrimental effects of pandemic-related stress during the COVID-19 healthcare emergency.

Depression and Anxiety in Mothers Who Were Pregnant During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Northern Italy: The Role of Pandemic-Related Emotional Stress and Perceived Social Support.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a collective trauma that is threatening citizens' mental health resulting in increased emotional stress, reduced social support, and heightened risk for affective symptoms. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of antenatal pandemic-related emotional stress and perceived social support on the symptoms of depression and anxiety of mothers who were pregnant during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in northern Italy. A sample of 281 mothers was enrolled at eight maternity units in the first hotspot region of the COVID-19 outbreak in northern Italy. Participants filled out online questionnaires assessing the direct or indirect exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, pandemic-related stress, perceived social support, as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Depressive and anxious symptomatology was above clinical concern, respectively, in 26 and 32% of the respondents. Mothers who reported no exposure to SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and those who reported at least one direct or indirect exposure did not differ in terms of affective symptoms. Continuous scores and risk for severe depression and anxiety were positively associated with prenatal pandemic-related emotional stress and negatively linked with perceived social support during pregnancy. Women who become mothers during the COVID-19 emergency may be at high risk for affective problems. Dedicated preventive programs are needed to provide adequate preventive support and care for maternal mental health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Universal Sars-Cov-2 Screening in Pregnant Women: Experience from the Italian Epidemic Outbreak.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sars-CoV-2 infection has rapidly spread worldwide following the first cases reported in China. Piacenza is one of the most affected cities in Italy. Many infections occurred in the hospital due to the high frequency of patients and healthcare professionals interaction. The aim of the work is to evaluate advantages of universal screening for Sars-Cov-2 in pregnant women admitted to a hospital setting and calculate frequency of infection in an obstetrical population.  Methods: all pregnant women attending Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital in Piacenza from 22nd April to 18th June 2020 were screened for Sars-Cov-2 using a nasopharyngeal swab.  Results: 240 pregnant women were tested upon admission: all twelve (5%) testing positive were asymptomatic. None of the positive asymptomatic women developed COVID-19 symptoms or adverse perinatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: the diagnosis of asymptomatic pregnant women through universal screening provides the opportunity to protect mothers, babies and heath care workers. In accordance with other studies, our findings add to the growing body of evidence showing high rates of asymptomatic infection in the healthcare setting and highlight a critical need for universal screening of pregnant women.