AUTHOR=He Zonglin , Chiu Joyce Wai-Ting , Lin Yuchen , Akinwunmi Babatunde , Wong Tak Hap , Zhang Casper J. P. , Ming Wai-Kit 

TITLE=The Construct Structures of Psychological and Behavioral Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic in Pregnant Women

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.796567

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.796567

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Aim</title><p>The present study aimed to investigate the construct structure behind the psychosocial response, behavioral response, prenatal depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.</p></sec><sec><title>Method</title><p>The validated Chinese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), PTSD CheckList (PCL)-6, and two newly established scales for COVID-19-related psychological and behavioral responses were used. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to evaluate the structural relationships of psychological and behavioral responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Of the 1,908 mothers who completed the questionnaires, 1,099 met the criteria for perinatal depression, and 287 were positively screened for PTSD, where 264 women exceed the cut-off points for both. Pregnant women with full-time or part-time jobs tended to have the lowest scores of EPDS (10.07 ± 5.11, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001) and stress levels (23.85 ± 7.96, <italic>P</italic> = 0.004), yet they were more likely to change their behavior in accordance with the COVID-19 outbreak (13.35 ± 3.42, <italic>P</italic> = 0.025). The structural model fit the data (χ<sup>2</sup> = 43.260, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and resulted in satisfactory fit indices (CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.959, RMSEA = 0.072, and χ<sup>2</sup>/d<italic>f</italic> = 10.815), all path loadings were significant (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). The SEM indicates that the level of QoL was attributable to the occurrence of PND, leading to PTSD, and COVID-19 related behavioral and psychological responses.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The inter-relationships between the COVID-19-related psychosocial and behavioral responses have been assessed, indicating that the pandemic increased the burden of perinatal depression. Psychoeducation, as well as other psychological interventions, may be needed to alleviate the COVID-19-based anxiety and increase their engagement in protective behaviors.</p></sec>