The mitigation efforts of COVID-19 have led to
significant changes to the delivery of routine healthcare globally. In
Australia, the way maternal health services have been delivered since the beginning
of the pandemic has also changed. Maternity care and support are known to
influence maternal mental health. One hundred and eighty-eight English-speaking
pregnant women residing in Australia were
recruited using social media advertising between September and November
2020 as part of a larger study. Participants were aged between 19 and 42 (M = 31.05, SD = 4.68). Compared with previous Australian prevalence rates of
around 7% for antenatal depression, rates in this study were 15.9% overall and
19% for those in Melbourne. Antenatal depression was positively associated with
COVID-19 distress in relation to having a baby during a COVID-19 outbreak r(186)
= 0.30, p < 0.001. It is suggested that increased vigilance with
screening and assessment will be required to identify and support mothers who
are not coping during the pandemic.
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