Emotional Experiences of Pregnant and Postpartum People with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Infection During the Initial Surge of the Pandemic.
Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle)
; 3(1): 405-413, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1948143
ABSTRACT
Objectives:
The COVID-19 pandemic may have a unique emotional impact on pregnant people. This qualitative study aimed to characterize the emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant and recently pregnant patients who had either suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection during the initial 6 months of the pandemic.Methods:
Pregnant and recently pregnant participants (n = 20) from Massachusetts General Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology clinical sites with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were interviewed about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews were transcribed and coded using NVivo 12 software. Using data display matrices, thematic analysis was performed to identify emergent, crosscutting themes.Results:
Twenty pregnant and postpartum patients participated of whom 12 had confirmed COVID-19 infection and 8 had suspected infection. The most frequently described emotions were anxiety (90%), uncertainty (80%), fear (70%), relief (65%), and sadness (60%). The following three crosscutting themes were identified risk, protection, and change. The ways in which participants articulated their emotional reactions to the themes of risk, protection, and change were complex and varied.Conclusions:
There was a broad range of negative and positive emotional experiences of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period during the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. A better understanding of pregnant people's emotional experiences may lead to changes in clinical practice and institutional policies that are more supportive of their needs and congruent with their values.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Language:
English
Journal:
Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle)
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Whr.2021.0143
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