Investigating the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Self-care Behaviors, and the Quality of Life of Women at Risk of Preterm Labor

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased the severity of the psychological problems of pregnant women, which can have severe consequences. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on the stress, anxiety, depression, self-care behaviors, and the quality of the life of women at the risk of preterm labor.

The current descriptive-analytical study was conducted from March 20, 2020 to June 21, 2020. In total, 88 women who were at risk of preterm labor in Tabriz (Iran) participated in this study. The association between the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) questionnaire, Hart’s self-care behaviors during pregnancy, and SF-36 (for the quality of life) were investigated using Pearson and Spearman correlations in SPSS 20 at P<0.05.

Based on the results of the Pearson correlation test, stress and self-care scores (P=0.003, r=-482), self-care and depression scores (P=0.006, r=-396), as well as anxiety and self-care scores (P=0.001, r=-511) had significant inverse linear correlations. According to the regression model, only the stress variable had a significant association with self-care (P=0.039). There was a positive and significant (P<0.05) correlation between self-care behaviors and three dimensions of marital quality including physical function, mental function, and the feeling of pain and discomfort.

The results of the current study showed the significant inverse association between self-care and depression and stress and anxiety during pregnancy in women at risk of preterm labor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low quality self-care behaviors also led to a decrease in the quality of life of these women.