Covid and depression, the extra emergency involving new mothers

Covid and depression, a theme that in recent months has been the focus of numerous studies and reflections.

But if between the bands more at risk, until today, that of the teenagers, long deprived of contact with the peer group, the alarm in reality it would also concern other categories of people and in particular that of pregnant women and new mothers.

In fact, they too paid a very high price during the pandemic, finding itself to be more exposed to the risk of depression, an insidious disease, still often underestimated today, but which, according to World Health Organization estimates, affects the 10% of pregnant women and the 13% of those who have just given birth.

That of pregnancy it is in fact a very delicate period: the numerous and inevitable changes that the expectation of a child entails in the life of a couple, but especially in that of a woman, in themselves lead to completely disrupting the normal routine. At this stage women experience a greater need for support and protection even on a psychological level, in the face of very accentuated and often destabilizing emotional responses, which can also cause mental distress such as the depression.

I symptoms most common range from sadness to irritation, from fatigue due to loss of interest in activities, up to sleep and appetite disturbances: signals that inevitably end up also having repercussions on the woman’s relationship with her child and her partner.

Covid and depression: an emergency for new mothers

In light of all of this, it is easy to assume that the health emergency may in fact have further aggravated the situation: among the triggering causes ofincreased risk of depression, on the one hand anxiety and the fear of contracting the virus during pregnancy, on the other hand the having to face important moments, such as that of childbirth, alone.

«The concerns about exposure to the virus they can influence emotions, thoughts and functions “, he explains in fact Federica Faustini, psychologist and psychotherapist of the center B-Woman for the health of the woman of Rome. “Some women, due to the fear that contracting Covid-19 could affect their own and their baby’s health, have developed obsessive-compulsive symptoms, which take the form of rituals and preventive measures to avoid contagion. Furthermore, constant worry can make women more defensive towards physical contact and lead to isolation by themselves, with manifestations of hostility and phobic anxiety, thus also giving rise to depressive symptoms».

To all this it joins isolation that we all experienced during the pandemic but that in certain situations it may have been even more difficult to manage. The health emergency has in fact involved many changes also in the protocols adopted within hospitals, including maternity wards, where it was limited to the partner only (sometimes not even foreseen) the possibility of be close to the woman during check-ups and also during the delicate and important moment of childbirth.

«The depressive and anxious symptoms these days it seems to be linked to the fact that mothers have to face moments of tension and emotion in solitude “, explains the psychologist Federica Faustini, “and can feeling overwhelmed by the thought of having to take care of a newborn without any outside help».

Social distancing – necessary for contagion control – has thus led many women to having to face 9 months of pregnancy – along with all the difficulties they entail – and the periodo del post- partum almost in complete solitude, deprived of the fundamental help and affection of family and friends.

Covid and mental health of new mothers: studies

To confirm the thesis according to which the health emergency it would have negatively affected psychological well-being of pregnant and postpartum women, there have also been several studies, including one Research published on Frontiers in Global Women’s Health and coordinated by Professor Margie Davenport of theUniversity of Alberta.

The study examined 900 women of which 520 were in pregnancy and 380 had instead given birth the previous year. Participants were asked to fill in a survey related to them symptoms of depression and anxiety, before and during the pandemic.

The results showed that while before the health emergency 29% of women had moderate to high anxiety symptoms and 15% had depressive symptoms, during the pandemic, the numbers they definitely turned out increased: the 72% of women experienced anxiety and 41% experienced depression. The questionnaire also examined the habits related to physical activity of those interviewed during and after pregnancy, confirming the thesis that motor exercise is a way to relieve symptoms of depression. In fact, the study showed that the women who practiced at least 150 minutes of physical activity moderate per week featured significantly lower symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Similar results were obtained from one Canadian study on mental health of new mothers during the pandemic, published on Canadian Medical Association Journal. Research, which has focused on the incidence of postpartum crises during the pandemic, he highlighted a 30% increase, between March and November 2020, of the medical visits due to psychological distress, attributable to the diagnosis of anxiety, depression and alcohol or substance use disorders.

New mothers: the need for a support network

«These results – concludes the psychologist Federica Faustini – clearly show that the pandemic emergency and the restrictions imposed on the population have had a great impact on the well-being of future mothers and women after childbirth, putting their mental health and emotional stability into play ».

The hope is therefore that health facilities and medical personnel act to preserve the well-being of pregnant women and new mothers, guaranteeing them as also suggested by the guidelines of the World Health Organization in 2018, the presence of the partner or a contact person be during childbirth than in delicate post-partum days.