Associations of COVID-19 related experiences with maternal anxiety and depression: implications for mental health management of pregnant women in the post-pandemic era

Psychological concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic become a public health crisis. It is noteworthy that the associations between COVID-19 related experiences and typical mental symptoms among pregnant women remain unclear. A cross-sectional online survey among pregnant women was conducted in Shenzhen, China. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to explore the associations of COVID-19 related experiences with anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy. Totally, 751 pregnant women were enrolled. Lower prevalence of anxiety and depression was observed among older individuals: 17.2%, 12.3%, and 6.7% for anxiety symptom; 40.0%, 35.3%, and 24.6% for depression symptom, respectively in age <30 years, 30 to 34 years, and ≥35 years groups. COVID-19 related experiences that associated with the anxiety and depression symptoms among pregnant women included having confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases around, subjective moderate or high risk of being infected, subjective severe life impact, subjective moderate or severe psychological impact, and spending more than one hour in COVID-19 related news. In the post-pandemic era, the psychological strain imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic is urgently needed to be alleviated among pregnant women. The long-term impacts of COVID-19 related experiences on maternal and child health should be monitored longitudinally.