Factors associated with postpartum depression among high-risk women during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on multi-level factors associated with depression among a high-risk sample of postpartum women using longitudinal data collected at two timepoints. High-risk postpartum participants in the United States were recruited to participate in a parent study focused on mitigating risk of cardiometabolic disease in postpartum women. Individuals completed a baseline survey which included the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at 6-weeks postpartum between 2017 through 2019. A modified survey with the inclusion of selected questions from the Coronavirus Health Impact Survey (CRISIS) questionnaire was administered again during the first 6-months of the COVID-19 pandemic and individuals who completed both the baseline assessment and the COVID-19 assessment were included for analyses (n = 46). Multivariate models were run to investigate the impacts of individual-, interpersonal-, and structural-level factors on change in EPDS scores across the postpartum period. Findings suggest that losing contact with social supports (β = 4.5, SE = 1.9, p = .02) and individuals who reported a total household income of less than $75,000 (β = 3.4, SE = 1.7, p = .05) were more likely to report significantly worsening postpartum depression scores compared to others. Recommendations to mitigate the stressors that have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting mental health disparities include screening all high-risk postpartum women for depression and anxiety during both postpartum and pediatric healthcare visits, providing informational flyers with tips related to healthy coping behaviors and free/affordable community resources, and linking individuals to peer-led support groups.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• depression
• mental health
• postpartum period

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

The data set used for these analyses is publicly available.

Ethics approval statement

This secondary data analysis was deemed exempt from ethics approval.

Additional information

Funding

National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Clinical Trials #: NCT03215173).