The COVID-19 Pandemic Can Impact Perinatal Mental Health and the Health of the Offspring
Abstract
The COVID-19 ongoing pandemic constitutes a major challenge for countries throughout the world due to the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and devastating consequences in health. No one is free from COVID-19 impact. In this regard, pregnant women are not the exception. The COVID-19 outbreak represents a massive source of stressful agents for women and their babies during the perinatal period. The COVID-19 pandemic has been suggested to potentially have short- and long-term detrimental effects on pregnant women and the baby. These adverse consequences range from mental to medical diseases. During the last centuries, several dreadful and fatal incidents have put pregnant women and their babies at higher risk of mortality and health deterioration. For example, it has been informed that women exposed to the 1918 flu pandemic (commonly known as the Spanish flu) while pregnant showed higher rates of premature delivery in the short term. Long-term consequences have also been reported and individuals (both males and females) who were exposed to the 1918 flu pandemic while in utero had a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, diabetes, coronary heart disease or cancer throughout their lifespan.
Full text
beha io al
sciences
Edi o ial
The COVID-19 Pandemic Can Impac Pe ina al
Men al Heal h and he Heal h o he O sp ing
Ra ael A. Capa os-Gonzalez 1,2,* , Ana Ganho-Á ila 3and Alejand o de la To e-Luque 4,*
1Depa men o Nu sing, Facul y o Heal h Sciences, Uni e si y o G anada, 18071 G anada, Spain
2Mind, B ain, and Beha io Resea ch Cen e (CIMCYC), Uni e si y o G anada, 18011 G anada, Spain
3
Cen e o Resea ch in Neu opsychology and Cogni i e Beha io al In e en ion, Facul y o Psychology and
Educa ional Sciences, Uni e si y o Coimb a, 3000-115 Coimb a, Po ugal; [email p o ec ed]
4Depa men o Legal Medicine, Psychia y and Pa hology, Uni e sidad Complu ense de Mad id,
28040 Mad id, Spain
*Co espondence: cg477@ug .es (R.A.C.-G.); [email p o ec ed] (A.d.l.T.-L.)
Recei ed: 9 Sep embe 2020; Accep ed: 20 Oc obe 2020; Published: 23 Oc obe 2020
Abs ac :
The COVID-19 ongoing pandemic cons i u es a majo challenge o coun ies h oughou
he wo ld due o he apid sp ead o SARS-CoV-2 and de as a ing consequences in heal h. No one is
ee om COVID-19 impac . In his ega d, p egnan women a e no he excep ion. The COVID-19
ou b eak ep esen s a massi e sou ce o s ess ul agen s o women and hei babies du ing he
pe ina al pe iod. The COVID-19 pandemic has been sugges ed o po en ially ha e sho - and long- e m
de imen al e ec s on p egnan women and he baby. These ad e se consequences ange om men al
o medical diseases. Du ing he las cen u ies, se e al d ead ul and a al inciden s ha e pu p egnan
women and hei babies a highe isk o mo ali y and heal h de e io a ion. Fo example, i has
been in o med ha women exposed o he 1918 lu pandemic (commonly known as he Spanish lu)
while p egnan showed highe a es o p ema u e deli e y in he sho e m. Long- e m consequences
ha e also been epo ed and indi iduals (bo h males and emales) who we e exposed o he 1918
lu pandemic while in u e o had a highe isk o de eloping schizoph enia, diabe es, co ona y hea
disease o cance h oughou hei li espan.
Keywo ds:
p ena al s ess; an ena al s ess; psychological s ess; psychological well-bieng; physiological
s ess; co isol; p egnancy; COVID-19; SARS-Co-2; o sp ing; neona e
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic cons i u es a majo challenge o coun ies h oughou he
wo ld due o he apid sp ead o SARS-CoV-2 and he de as a ing consequences o heal h. No one is
ee om he impac o COVID-19. In his ega d, p egnan women a e no an excep ion. The COVID-19
ou b eak ep esen s a massi e sou ce o s ess o women and hei babies du ing he pe ina al pe iod.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been sugges ed o po en ially ha e sho - and long- e m de imen al
e ec s on p egnan women and hei babies. These ad e se consequences ange om men al illnesses
o medical diseases. Du ing he las ew cen u ies, se e al d ead ul and a al inciden s ha e pu
p egnan women and hei babies a highe isk o mo ali y and heal h de e io a ion. Fo example,
i has been no ed ha women exposed o he 1918 lu pandemic (commonly known as he Spanish lu)
while p egnan showed highe a es o p ema u e deli e y in he sho e m. Long- e m consequences
ha e also been epo ed and indi iduals (bo h males and emales) who we e exposed o he 1918
lu pandemic while in u e o had a highe isk o de eloping schizoph enia, diabe es, co ona y hea
disease o cance h oughou hei li espan [1,2].
Beha . Sci. 2020,10, 162; doi:10.3390/bs10110162 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/beha sci
Beha . Sci. 2020,10, 162 2 o 4
The en i onmen su ounding p egnan women a ec s he de eloping e us while s ill in he
womb. In ac , his en i onmen imp in s and p og ams he heal h and disease o he o sp ing om
bi h o he end o li e. This hypo hesis was posi ed by Da id Ba ke and is known as he De elopmen al
O igin o Heal h and Disease (DOHaD) hypo hesis [
3
]. An e olu iona y pe spec i e sugges s ha
an en i onmen wi h high le els o s ess can p epa e he de eloping e us o adap o he ex eme
ci cums ances ha he child will be exposed o a e his/he bi h. In his ega d, a en ion de ici
hype ac i i y diso de , o ins ance, has been associa ed wi h highe app aisals o dange while anxie y
diso de s ha e been ela ed wi h highe igilance [4].
Du ing he ongoing global pandemic o COVID-19, po en ial agen s o ma e nal s ess ha e been
desc ibed so a , and all o hem may lead o pe ina al men al heal h issues. Some o hese agen s
may come di ec ly om he i us and adjus men o ela ed disease, whe eas o he s a e indi ec ly
ela ed o SARS-CoV-2. In o de o limi he SARS-CoV-2 sp ead, wo ldwide go e nmen s ha e
imposed some beha io al adjus men s, such as coun y lockdown, social dis ancing and mobili y
es ic ion. Social dis ancing ep esen s a c ucial app oach ha may lead o ad e se men al heal h
e ec s. Humans a e ins inc i ely social and end o ga he as a mechanism o cope wi h high le els o
s ess and a way o inc ease esilience [
5
]. Isola ion and limi a ion o mo emen may esul in p egnan
women expe iencing a lack o social suppo om iends, ela i es and pa ne s, economic di icul ies,
emo e wo k and po en ially s aying in o e c owded homes. Fu he s esso s ela ed o social dis ancing
du ing he COVID-19 pandemic o women du ing he pe ina al pe iod a e he challenges o ha ing
o school child en a home, addi ionally woman a e acing inc eased isk ela ed o in ima e pa ne
iolence since du ing he lockdown women had o cohabi wi h a po en ial agg esso , educed numbe
o an ena al and pos na al appoin men s, es ic ions ela ed o pa ne ’s pa icipa ion du ing bi h
and changes associa ed wi h b eas eeding ecommenda ions [6,7].
A g owing body o e idence appea s o suppo he de imen al psychological e ec s he COVID-19
pandemic and ela ed policies can ha e on p egnan women. Wo ldwide, esea che s a e mo ing
o wa d o unde s and he ex en o which hese ca as ophic ci cums ances can shape pe ina al men al
heal h and how high le els o s ess su e ed by p egnan women can p og am he well-being o he
o sp ing. Howe e , a majo e o should be unde aken o unde s and men al heal h consequences and
o imp o e op imal men al heal h se ice p o ision. In his espec , he absence o psychome ically
alida ed psychological measu es o assess pandemic- ela ed s ess among p egnan women has
esul ed in he de elopmen o new high-s anda d and c oss-cul u al measu es. These measu es will
help esea che s gain new insigh s in o he assessmen o psychological s ess du ing he COVID-19
ou b eak and po en ial upcoming pandemics (e.g., [
8
,
9
]). So a , high le els o anxie y and dep ession
ha e been ound in p egnan women om a a ie y o geog aphical and cul u al backg ounds, such as
Canada, UK, Aus alia, India and China [
10
,
11
]. P egnan women om Is ael we e epo ed o ha e
high le els o COVID-19 anxie y, and A ab women displayed he highes le els o psychological
s ess when compa ed wi h Jewish p egnan women [
12
]. Addi ional inequali ies among ce ain
g oups o p egnan women ha e also been disco e ed, which highligh s he need o include women in
high- isk g oups. A na ional coho s udy de eloped in he UK ound ha women o e 35 yea s old,
o e weigh /obese and hose om a mino i y e hnici y migh ha e a highe isk o SAR-CoV-2 in ec ion.
Vulne able p egnan women a e among hose who ha e highe le els o s ess ela ed o wo ies abou
ge ing in ec ed o sp eading SARS-CoV-2 [
13
,
14
]. Fu he wide- eaching p ojec s ocusing on he
psychological impac o he COVID-19 pandemic on p egnancy a e ongoing, such as he COVID-19
and Pe ina al Expe iences S udy (COPE) [15].
To sum up, p egnan women and hei o sp ing ha e become high- isk segmen s o he popula ion
in his unp eceden ed ime [
16
]. Policymake s and heal h ca e p o essionals ha e made a majo e o
o ackle he impac o COVID-19. Despi e his e o , p e en i e p og ams and in e en ions should
be implemen ed o amelio a e he men al heal h bu den om COVID-19. In addi ion, i should be
compulso y o e e y p egnan woman o be assessed o men al heal h issues a e e y s age o he
p egnancy and pos pa um [
6
]. This ailo ed assessmen could help de elop adjus men s a egies
Beha . Sci. 2020,10, 162 3 o 4
o cope wi h he pandemic and educe he p obabili y o ce ain diseases being de eloped in he
o sp ing la e in li e. Finally, a call o u he esea ch on ma e nal men al heal h dese es o be made.
Resea che s a e encou aged o ocus hei e o s on iden i ying p o ec i e and isk ac o s and o
de elop in e en ions o ma e nal men al heal h du ing he COVID-19 pandemic.
Au ho Con ibu ions:
Concep ualiza ion, R.A.C.-G., A.G.-
Á
. and A.d.l.T.-L.; in es iga ion, R.A.C.-G., A.G.-
Á
.
and A.d.l.T.-L.; w i ing—o iginal d a p epa a ion, R.A.C.-G.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, R.A.C.-G., A.G.-
Á
.
and A.d.l.T.-L. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Acknowledgmen s:
The au ho s would like o hank all clinicians and esea che s who a e wo king o educe he
e ec s o he COVID-19 pandemic.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es .
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