Contextual influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women's emotional regulation abilities

INTRODUCTION: Emotional regulation is a key factor that could determine the quality of becoming a parent. Since pregnancy is accompanied by changes in the emotional system, fluctuations in emotional regulation may also occur during this period. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had major psychological repercussions on the general population which could have also affected emotional regulation capacities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether emotional regulation has characteristics during pregnancy and to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional regulation of pregnant women. METHOD: One hundred fifty-one women aged between 19 and 42 years old participated in this study. Their emotional regulation abilities were assessed using the Difficulties Emotion Regulation Scale before and during the pandemic. A two-factor multivariate analysis of covariance, “parental status” (pregnant vs. childless) and “time of data collection” (before vs. during COVID-19), was conducted to compare the emotional regulation abilities of pregnant women with those of childless women before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: (1) Prior to the pandemic, pregnant women exhibited better emotional regulation skills than childless women, characterized by greater acceptance and understanding of their emotions. (2) During the pandemic: (a) pregnant women's emotional regulation scores were comparable to those of women without children. (b) They also had more difficulty than pre-pandemic pregnant women in identifying their emotions. CONCLUSION: The lack of improvement in emotional regulation skills in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic is a specific impact of COVID on this population. This could affect their mental health, as well as the emotional adjustment of the mother towards her baby.