Substance use and mental health in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Objectives

We examined the prevalence of substance use as a coping mechanism and identified relationships between maternal mental health over time and use of substances to cope during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among pregnant women in the U.S.A.

Methods

Self-reported repeated measures from 83 pregnant women were collected online in April 2020 and May 2020. Women retrospectively reported their mental/emotional health before the pandemic, as well as depression, stress, and substance use as a result of the pandemic at both time points. Linear regression measured cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between mental health and substance use.

Results

Pre-COVID-19 reports of poorer mental/emotional health (b = 0.46) were significantly (p < .05) associated with number of substances used to cope with the pandemic. Elevated stress (b = 0.35) and depressive symptoms (b = 0.27) and poorer mental/emotional health (b = 0.14) in April were also significantly related to higher numbers of substances used in May (p < .05).

Conclusion

Pregnant women’s psychological well-being may be a readily measured indicator substance use risk during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions addressing increased stress and depression may also mitigate the emergence of greater substance use among pregnant women.

KEYWORDS:

• Substance use
• pregnancy
• depression
• mental health
• COVID-19
• SARS-COV-2

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Geolocation information

Washington State University Campuses involved in this manuscript are located in Spokane and Yakima Washington, U.S.A.

Additional information

Funding

Funding provided by Washington State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program Dedicated Marijuana Account, Grant number not available.