ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Our aim was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on depressive symptoms among mothers from a population-based birth cohort in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. METHODS: A subgroup of mothers from the Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort was assessed pre-pandemic (November,2019 to March,2020) and mid-pandemic (August-December,2021). In both follow-ups, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Pre-pandemic (T1) and pandemic-related predictors (T2) were analyzed. Prevalence of depression (EPDS score ≥ 13) at T1 and T2 were compared with chi-square test. Changes in EPDS from T1 to T2 were estimated by multivariate latent change score modelling. RESULTS: 1,550 women were assessed. Prevalence of depression increased 38.1% (from 18.9% at T1 to 26.1% at T2) (p < 0.001). At T1, higher schooling, higher family income and being employed or working were related to lower EPDS, whereas being beneficiary of a cash transfer program and a larger number of people living in the household predicted higher EPDS. The deterioration of ones' own perception of quality of overall health (ß = 0.191; SE = 0.028; p < 0.001) and worst family financial situation due to the pandemic (ß = 0.083; SE = 0.024; p = 0.001) predicted the increase in EPDS from T1 to T2. CONCLUSION: Almost two years after the beginning of the pandemic, the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the women was higher than before the pandemic. The deterioration of ones' own perception of quality of overall health and worst family financial situation due to the pandemic are proxies for the effect of COVID-19 pandemic (the true exposure of interest) in the women mental health.