Relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health in pregnant women

ABSTRACT

Objective. The impact of crises such as the COVID-19 epidemic on the health of pregnant mothers is much bigger than that of other people in the society which can lead to irreparable consequences. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and mental health in pregnant women presenting to health centres in Mashhad.
Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 on 205 pregnant women who presented to health centres in Mashhad. The data were collected using a demographic profile questionnaire, a mental health scale, and a fear of COVID-19 scale, whose validity and reliability have been confirmed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 and descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Value level was considered significant at p ≤ 0.05.
Results. The mean score of fear of COVID-19, psychological well-being and psychological distress was 17.80 ± 5.72, 55.74 ± 8.51 and 34.68 ± 9.59, respectively. There was a significant relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological well-being (r = -0.19, p = 0.008), fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress (r = 0.22, p = 0.001), psychological well-being and psychological distress (r = -0.50, p < 0.001).
Conclusions. The results of this study showed that the Corona catching induced anxiety was related to fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress in pregnant women. It is necessary to carry out interventions to improve the mental health of pregnant women and reduce the fear caused by COVID-19 during the Corona pandemic.