Help-Seeking Intentions for Depression and Associated Factors among Chinese Perinatal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

A low help-seeking intention for depression is an important reason for the low number of women with perinatal depression who have sought professional help. However, evidence of help-seeking intentions for depression is still lacking in Chinese perinatal women. We aimed to investigate the help-seeking intention for depression and its associated factors among Chinese perinatal women. Participants were recruited from three comprehensive hospitals in Changsha. A total of 874 perinatal women were included in the study. The score for the help-seeking intention for depression in Chinese perinatal women was 3.65 ± 0.79, with about half of participants (58.3%) reporting that they were "likely" and "strongly likely" to seek professional help if they suffered from depression during the perinatal period. Favorable help-seeking attitudes and sufficient knowledge of mental illness help-seeking resources were positively associated with help-seeking intentions for depression. However, self-stigma decreased the help-seeking intention for depression. Chinese perinatal women had relatively positive help-seeking intentions for depression. Reducing the stigma of mental illness and help-seeking, enhancing mental health literacy, and improving attitudes toward professional psychological help-seeking of perinatal women may be the potential key components of interventions to encourage perinatal women to actively seek professional psychological help.

Pregnancy alters interleukin-1 beta expression and antiviral antibody responses during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the disease-causing pathogen of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, has resulted in morbidity and mortality worldwide. Pregnant women are more susceptible to severe coronavirus disease 2019 and are at higher risk of preterm birth than uninfected pregnant women. Despite this evidence, the immunologic effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection during pregnancy remain understudied. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection during pregnancy on inflammatory and humoral responses in maternal and fetal samples and compare antibody responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 among pregnant and nonpregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: Immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were analyzed using samples from pregnant (n=33) and nonpregnant (n=17) women who tested either positive (pregnant, 22; nonpregnant, 17) or negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (pregnant, 11) at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We measured proinflammatory and placental cytokine messenger RNAs, neonatal Fc receptor expression, and tetanus antibody transfer in maternal and cord blood samples. In addition, we evaluated antispike immunoglobulin G, antispike receptor-binding domain immunoglobulin G, and neutralizing antibody responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in serum or plasma collected from nonpregnant women, pregnant women, and cord blood. RESULTS: Pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection expressed more interleukin-1 beta, but not interleukin 6, in blood samples collected within 14 days vs >14 days after performing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test. Pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection also had reduced antispike receptor-binding domain immunoglobulin G titers and were less likely to have detectable neutralizing antibody than nonpregnant women. Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection did not disrupt neonatal Fc receptor expression in the placenta, maternal transfer of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing antibody was inhibited by infection during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection during pregnancy was characterized by placental inflammation and reduced antiviral antibody responses, which may impact the efficacy of coronavirus disease 2019 treatment in pregnancy. In addition, the long-term implications of placental inflammation for neonatal health require greater consideration.