REPERCUSSIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PREGNANT AND PUERPERAL WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused negative impacts on the physical and mental health of the population worldwide. Pregnant and puerperal women comprise the population most vulnerable to impacts on mental health. Objective: To synthesize the scientific evidence on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pregnant and puerperal women. Methods: systematic review focused on answering the question what is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of pregnan and puerperal women?. In order to perform the search of the studies, we used combinations among the keywords pregnan*, puerper*, prenatal, perinatal, mental health, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. In total, we identified 150 studies from the databases and 14 studies were selected from preprints. We identified another four studies through manual search, totaling 18 studies to compose the final sample of this review. Results: Anxiety and depression were the main outcomes found, being shown in 15 and 11 studies, respectively. Other outcomes found in more than one study were concerns related to several factors, loneliness, stress and fear. Conclusion: From this review, we can infer that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of pregnant and puerperal women, with depression and anxiety being the most frequent changes. The social detachment, the media pressure, the fear of contracting the infection, the economic scenario and the rupture of family rituals are shown as intensifying factors of psychological distress, thus causing changes in the mental health of these women.