Introduction
Method
Participants and Procedure
Measures
Depressive Symptoms
Pregnancy-Specific Distress
Postpartum Anxiety Symptoms
Descriptive Characteristics
Statistical Methods
Results
Factor Analyses
COVID19-PPQ: Pregnancy Scale
a. Pregnant women | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sample Ia (N = 154) | Sample IIa (N = 113) | |||||||
Demographics | N | % | Mean (SD) | Range | N | % | Mean (SD) | Range |
Age | 30.7 (3.2) | 19–40 | 31.0 (3.7) | 20–41 | ||||
High level of education | 111 | 73.5 | 76 | 68.5 | ||||
Paid job | 146 | 96.7 | 110 | 99.1 | ||||
Living with partner | 147 | 97.4 | 110 | 99.1 | ||||
Pregnancy related | ||||||||
Gestational age | 35.1 (5.1) | 24–43 | 22.7 (5.2) | 13–33 | ||||
Multiparity | 66 | 43.7 | 44 | 39.6 | ||||
Unplanned pregnancy | 13 | 8.6 | 9 | 8.1 | ||||
Previous miscarriage | 39 | 25.8 | 30 | 27.0 | ||||
Problems with previous pregnancy | 29 | 18.8 | 14 | 12.4 | ||||
Problems with previous delivery | 43 | 28.5 | 25 | 22.5 | ||||
Psychological features | ||||||||
Previous diagnosis of depression | 22 | 14.6 | 17 | 15.3 | ||||
Previous diagnosis of anxiety disorder | 10 | 6.6 | 10 | 9.0 | ||||
EDS 1st trimester | 4.9 (4.7) | 0–23 | 4.5 (4.3) | 0–21 | ||||
EDS 2nd trimester | 5.1 (4.4) | 0–21 | 4.7 (4.1) | 0–17 | ||||
EDS 3rd trimester | 4.9 (4.7) | 0–25 | 6.0 (5.1) | 0–22 | ||||
TPDS-NA 1st trimester | 6.1 (4.0) | 0–18 | 5.6 (3.2) | 0–14 | ||||
TPDS-NA 2nd trimester | 5.5 (4.3) | 0–18 | 5.2 (3.7) | 0–15 | ||||
TPDS-NA 3rd trimester | 11.1 (7.6) | 0–30 | 12.1 (7.7) | 0–30 |
b. Postpartum women | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sample Ib (N = 90) | Sample IIb (N = 81) | |||||||
Demographics | N | % | Mean (SD) | Range | N | % | Mean (SD) | Range |
Age | 31.1 (3.4) | 22–39 | 30.7 (3.2) | 24–38 | ||||
High level of education | 63 | 71.6 | 62 | 76.5 | ||||
Paid job | 83 | 94.3 | 80 | 98.8 | ||||
Living with partner | 87 | 98.9 | 79 | 97.5 | ||||
Pregnancy related | ||||||||
Multiparity | 46 | 52.3 | 40 | 49.4 | ||||
Unplanned pregnancy | 6 | 6.8 | 6 | 7.4 | ||||
Previous miscarriage | 22 | 25.0 | 22 | 27.2 | ||||
Problems with previous pregnancy | 23 | 25.6 | 20 | 24.7 | ||||
Problems with previous delivery | 30 | 34.1 | 26 | 31.1 | ||||
Obstetric features | ||||||||
Gestational age at delivery (weeks) | 39.6 (1.4) | 35–42 | 39.4 (1.7) | 29–41 | ||||
Premature birth (< 37 weeks) | 4 | 4.4 | 4 | 5.0 | ||||
Psychological features | ||||||||
Previous diagnosis of depression | 10 | 11.4 | 11 | 13.6 | ||||
Previous diagnosis of anxiety disorder | 6 | 6.8 | 8 | 9.9 | ||||
EPDS | 4.4 (3.4) | 0–15 | 4.6 (4.0) | 0–19 | ||||
SCL-90 | 2.4 (2.7) | 0–13 | 2.5 (3.4) | 0–18 |
Factor I Risk of infection | Factor II Contact | Factor III Future | |
---|---|---|---|
Eigenvalue | 4.9 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
Percentage of variance explained | 20.2 | 9.7 | 8.7 |
1. I trusted my obstetrician’s knowledge about Corona | .32 | .29 | |
2. I missed the personal contact with my obstetrician | .47 | ||
3. It bothered me that scheduled ultrasounds were not able to continue | .64 | ||
4. I understood that Corona measures had to be taken | .50 | .37 | |
5. I was upset that my partner was not allowed to be present during the ultrasounds | .57 | ||
6. I plan to deliver my baby at home because of Corona | .25 | ||
7. I was afraid that my partner would not be allowed to be present during the delivery | .33 | .42 | |
8. I was upset that perinatal classes were canceled | .57 | ||
9. I thought the lockdown measures were too strict | -.24 | .45 | .34 |
10. I did not want to go to the hospital for a consultation because of the risk for infection | .51 | .21 | |
11. Because of the Corona measures, I did not enjoy my pregnancy as much | .37 | .54 | .26 |
12. I was worried that a possible Corona infection would impact my baby | .71 | ||
13. Being pregnant made me feel more at risk for the Coronavirus | .78 | ||
14. I strictly adhered to the Corona measures because I was pregnant | .73 | ||
15. I was upset that I could share less with family and friends during my pregnancy | .43 | .54 | |
16. The people in my environment were considerate of the fact that I was pregnant | |||
17. I was worried that I could not have visitors after the baby was born | .64 | ||
18. Because of the lockdown I could share my experiences about my pregnancy with fewer people than I wanted to | .47 | .48 | |
19. Because my partner was more at home during the lockdown my pregnancy was really a shared experience | |||
20. Because of the lockdown I felt more peace (fewer social activities) | .53 | .33 | |
21. During the lockdown my partner and I were living more on top of one another | |||
22. Because of Corona I am more worried about my financial future | .76 | ||
23. I am worried that Corona will affect my job | .74 | ||
24. I am confident about the period after my pregnancy | .21 | .22 | .50 |
25. Because of the lockdown I enjoy my job less | .28 | .23 | |
26. I have experienced the changes in my work activities as positive | .31 | ||
27. I am worried that Corona will affect my partner’s job | .61 |
COVID19-PPQ: Postpartum Scale
Factor I First postpartum week | Factor II COVID-19 measures | Factor III Fear for infection | |
---|---|---|---|
Eigenvalue | 5.4 | 2.7 | 1.8 |
Percentage of variance explained | 25.8 | 12.8 | 8.7 |
1. I was upset that only my partner could be present during my delivery | .40 | ||
2. My delivery was different from what I had expected because of Corona | .30 | .35 | .36 |
3. I was afraid to be infected with the Coronavirus during the delivery/first postpartum week | .81 | ||
4. I was afraid that my baby would be infected with the Coronavirus during the delivery/first postpartum week | .83 | ||
5. I received conflicting information during my delivery | .66 | ||
6. I trusted that the midwife/obstetrician would strictly adhere to the Corona measures during my delivery | .69 | ||
7. The contact with healthcare professionals was less personal during my delivery because of Corona | .21 | .43 | .34 |
8. I had an understanding for the Corona measures during my delivery | .26 | .69 | |
9. The Corona measures that were taken during my delivery were clear | .70 | ||
10. I felt very lonely during my delivery because of the Corona measures | .38 | .66 | .26 |
11. I missed my midwife providing my aftercare during the first postpartum week | .36 | .31 | |
12. It felt unfortunate that I could have fewer visitors after my delivery | .65 | ||
13. I enjoyed the peace and quiet during the first postpartum week | .83 | ||
14. There was more time and attention to get breastfeeding started | .70 | ||
15. The maternity nurse sufficiently adhered to the Corona measures | .24 | .31 | |
16. Because of the Corona measures I enjoyed the first postpartum week less | .44 | .54 | |
17. I feel that the first postpartum week was nice and peaceful because of the Corona measures | .79 | .28 | |
18. Because of the Corona measures I felt more connected to my (new) family | .72 | ||
19. Apart from our family I did not allow anyone to hold the baby | -.36 | .27 | .52 |
20. During the period after my delivery I hardly went outside | .46 | ||
21. Because of the Corona measures I felt very lonely during the period after my delivery | .35 | .38 | .46 |
Pregnancy scale | Completely disagree (1) | Disagree (2) | Agree (3) | Fully agree (4) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. It bothered me that scheduled ultrasounds were not able to continue | □ | □ | □ | □ |
2. I was upset that my partner was not allowed to be present during the ultrasounds | □ | □ | □ | □ |
3. I did not want to go to the hospital for a consultation because of the risk for infection | □ | □ | □ | □ |
4. I was worried that a possible Corona infection would impact my baby | □ | □ | □ | □ |
5. Being pregnant made me feel more at risk for the Coronavirus | □ | □ | □ | □ |
6. I was worried that I could not have visitors after the baby was born | □ | □ | □ | □ |
7. Because of Corona I am more worried about my financial future | □ | □ | □ | □ |
8. I am worried that Corona will affect my job | □ | □ | □ | □ |
9. I am worried that Corona will affect my partner’s job | □ | □ | □ | □ |
Postpartum scale | Completely disagree (1) | Disagree (2) | Agree (3) | Fully agree (4) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. I was afraid to be infected with the Coronavirus during the delivery/first postpartum week | □ | □ | □ | □ |
2. I was afraid that my baby would be infected with the Coronavirus during the delivery/first postpartum week | □ | □ | □ | □ |
3. I trusted that the midwife/obstetrician would strictly adhere to the Corona measures during my delivery | □ | □ | □ | □ |
4. I had an understanding for the Corona measures during my delivery | □ | □ | □ | □ |
5. The Corona measures that were taken during my delivery were clear | □ | □ | □ | □ |
6. I enjoyed the peace and quiet during the first postpartum week | □ | □ | □ | □ |
7. There was more time and attention to get breastfeeding started | □ | □ | □ | □ |
8. I feel that the first postpartum week was nice and peaceful because of the Corona measures | □ | □ | □ | □ |
9. Because of the Corona measures I felt more connected to my (new) family | □ | □ | □ | □ |
10. I was afraid that my partner would be infected with the Coronavirus during the delivery/first postpartum week | □ | □ | □ | □ |
Concurrent Validity Analyses
a. Pregnancy scale | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Mean (SD) | Range |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Pregnancy scale | 1 | .69*** | .77*** | .58*** | .21** | .18** | .24** | .37*** | .32*** | .37*** | 11.7 (4.6) | 0–24 |
2. Pregnancy scale: Risk of infection | - | 1 | .31*** | .15* | .14* | .17** | .19** | .30*** | .30*** | .30*** | 4.1 (2.1) | 0–9 |
3. Pregnancy scale: Contact | - | - | 1 | .14* | .16* | .06 | .10 | .25*** | .16* | .24** | 5.1 (2.6) | 0–9 |
4. Pregnancy scale: Future | - | - | - | 1 | .12† | .16* | .19** | .22*** | .19** | .18* | 2.5 (2.0) | 0–9 |
5. EDS 1st trimester | - | - | - | - | 1 | .61*** | .64*** | .54*** | .38*** | .37*** | 4.8 (4.5) | 0–23 |
6. EDS 2nd trimester | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | .66*** | .46*** | .47*** | .36*** | 4.9 (4.3) | 0–21 |
7. EDS 3rd trimester | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | .40*** | .38*** | .37*** | 5.1 (4.8) | 0–25 |
8. TDPS-NA 1st trimester | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | .70*** | .65*** | 5.9 (3.7) | 0–18 |
9. TDPS-NA 2nd trimester | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | .62*** | 5.1 (4.1) | 0–18 |
10. TDPS-NA 3rd trimester | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 11.3 (7.6) | 0–30 |
b. Postpartum scale | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Mean (SD) | Range | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Postpartum scale | 1 | .77*** | .51*** | .59*** | .18* | .18* | 9.9 (3.9) | 1–20 | ||||
2. Postpartum scale: First postpartum week | - | 1 | .22*** | -.11 | -.01 | -.08 | 3.9 (2.6) | 0–12 | ||||
3. Postpartum scale: COVID-19 measures | - | - | 1 | .05 | .17* | .17* | 2.3 (1.7) | 0–9 | ||||
4. Postpartum scale: Fear for infection | - | - | - | 1 | .20* | .28** | 3.7 (2.2) | 0–9 | ||||
5. EPDS | - | - | - | - | 1 | .64*** | 4.5 (3.7) | 0–19 | ||||
6. SCL-90 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2.5 (3.0) | 0–18 |