Mental health scores in pregnant mothers.

Background and objectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic impacted every single aspect of life. In addition to being a public health emergency, the COVID-19 outbreak impacted the mental health of individuals, especially pregnant women. This study aimed to examine the mental health status of pregnant women and also the effect of sociodemographic factors on their mental health status during COVID-19 in healthcare centers of Iran.MethodsThis cross-sectional, analytical-descriptive study was conducted among pregnant women referring to healthcare centers in Shoushtar, Iran, in 2021. Multistage cluster sampling was used to select participants. Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the association between quantitative variables. A generalized linear model (GLM) was applied to estimate the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable (mental health).ResultsA total of 197 participants with a mean ± SD age of 27.85 ± 6.37 years took part in this study. The total mean score of mental health was estimated at 17.47±8.20. The highest mean ± SD score was, respectively, related to social dysfunction (6.63 ± 2.86), anxiety and insomnia (5.28 ± 3.53), and somatic symptoms (4.17 ± 3.27). Mental health disorder was significantly correlated with participants’ age (R = .223, P = .00), number of pregnancy (gravida) (R = .272, P = .00), number of births (para) (R = 0.272, P = .00), and number of abortions (R = .172, P = .015). About 80% of pregnant women did not reveal impaired mental health conditions or psychological distress, while 19.3% showed scores that indicate probable mental health conditions.ConclusionSocial dysfunction was the most common mental health problem among pregnant women. It is necessary to pay more attention to the mental health status of pregnant women during a pandemic. Interventions such as practical strategies to promote social support and improve pregnant women’s mental health during pregnancy are highly important.研究背景与目的：新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行波及生活的方方面面。除引发公共卫生紧急事件外，新冠疫情还对个体的心理健康造成了影响，其中孕妇群体尤甚。本研究旨在调查伊朗各医疗中心内，孕妇在COVID-19大流行期间的心理健康状况，以及社会人口学因素对其心理健康状态的影响。 研究方法：本研究为横断面分析描述性研究，于2021年在伊朗舒什塔尔市各医疗中心就诊的孕妇群体中开展。采用多阶段整群抽样法选取研究对象。使用一般健康问卷-28（General Health Questionnaire-28, GHQ-28）收集研究数据，采用SPSS 22.0软件进行数据分析。以皮尔逊相关系数检验定量变量间的关联，采用广义线性模型（Generalized Linear Model, GLM）评估自变量对因变量（心理健康状况）的影响效应。 研究结果：本研究共纳入197名受试者，其平均年龄为27.85±6.37岁。心理健康总平均得分为17.47±8.20。得分最高的三个维度依次为社会功能障碍（6.63±2.86）、焦虑与失眠（5.28±3.53）及躯体症状（4.17±3.27）。心理健康障碍与受试者年龄（R=0.223，P=0.00）、妊娠次数（孕次，gravida）（R=0.272，P=0.00）、分娩次数（产次，para）（R=0.272，P=0.00）及流产次数（R=0.172，P=0.015）呈显著相关。约80%的孕妇未出现心理健康受损或心理痛苦症状，而19.3%的受试者得分提示存在可能的心理健康问题。 研究结论：社会功能障碍是孕妇群体中最为常见的心理健康问题。在大流行期间，需进一步关注孕妇的心理健康状况。制定如提升社会支持、改善孕期孕妇心理健康水平的实用策略等干预措施，具备极高的重要性。