Mental health problems during pregnancy or in the first year following the birth of a child affects up to 20% of new and expectant mums and covers a wide range of conditions. If left untreated, mental health issues can have significant and long-lasting effects on the woman, the child, and the wider family.

Pregnant women and those with new-born babies may be particularly vulnerable in the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience of being pregnant, giving birth and looking after a newborn baby during this time could bring anxiety and distress. On the other hand there may be certain aspects of the pandemic that are helpful or supportive to the mental health of expectant and new mothers such as a partner spending more time at home.

The survey ‘Moms during COVID’ aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women and new mothers with the goal of helping mothers going forward in the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.

Dr Claire Wilson from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London is leading the UK arm of the study.

She continued, ‘We will be looking at symptoms of anxiety and depression but also more broadly at the range of factors that impact wellbeing. Our findings have the potential to inform interventions to support this group of women and their families during the current pandemic and beyond.'

This survey which will be run in 11 countries is part of an international project for the study of impact of COVID-19 in Perinatal Mental Health (RiseupPPD-COVID-19) and is carried out with the collaboration of perinatal mental health experts from all the participating countries. The project arises from a European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) pan-European Network in Peripartum Depression Disorder called Riseup-PPD which Dr Wilson represents in the UK.

Women over the age of 18 who are pregnant or a mother of a child 6 months old or younger can participate. They must live in Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Israel, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Turkey or the United Kingdom.

Read more about the Moms during COVID study here.

Contact

For interviews or any further media information please contact Franca Davenport, Interim Senior Press Officer, IoPPN: franca.davenport@kcl.ac.uk / +44 7718 697176