The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Mental Health of the Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review

It is reported that pregnant women have shown different behaviors during the outbreak of COVID-19. The present study aimed to review existing studies concerning pregnant women’s mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In this systematic review, two independent researchers reviewed the impact of COVID-19 on health mental in databases, including Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Medline, without time and language restrictions from inception up to June 10, 2020. The searches were performed using the following keywords: (Pregnant OR Pregnancy) AND (COVID-19 OR SARS-COV 2) AND (anxiety OR Anxiety).

The following risk factors affect the pregnant women’s anxiety levels: underweight during pregnancy, employment, primigravida, lower than 35 years old, low family level and social support, and low physical activity. Women’s psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak include anxiety, depression, fear, and stress. Besides, pregnant women in the COVID-19 pandemic have refused to receive prenatal care and have preferred social isolation. Generally, women’s levels of anxiety and depression had an ascending order. Moreover, findings concerning the relationship between age and pregnancy and levels of anxiety were contradictory. Moreover, anxiety levels had a relationship with the race as levels of anxiety, and the symptoms of psychological tensions were higher in Arab women than Jewish women.

The anxiety and depression levels among pregnant women during the COVID-19 outbreak have been reported as average to high. It is required for women to be under social support and encourage pregnant women to have more physical activities.