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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1393737

Postpartum depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: an umbrella review and meta-analyses

Provisionally accepted
Ali Sahebi Ali Sahebi 1Maryam Kheiry Maryam Kheiry 1kamel abdi kamel abdi 2Mahla qomi Mahla qomi 3Mohamad Golitaleb Mohamad Golitaleb 3*
  • 1 Medical University of Ilam, Ilam, Ilam, Iran
  • 2 Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
  • 3 Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Markazi, Iran

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased anxiety, stress, and depression, which could have harmful consequences for pregnant women. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of postpartum depression during COVID-19 using an umbrella review and meta-analysis.Methods: The current study followed the PRISMA guideline and utilized data from various sources such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The searches were conducted without a time limit until the end of May 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model, heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 index, and publication bias was evaluated using Begg's test. Data analysis was carried out using STATA software (version 15).Results:In this study, 243 articles were initially identified. Only meta-analysis studies that reported PPD during COVID-19 were included. After quality assessment, nine papers were selected for the meta-analysis stage. The study found that the prevalence postpartum depression (PPD) was 25.27% (95% CI = 23.66-27.86, I 2 = 0.0%, p = 0.549).The findings of this study revealed that the incidence of PPD during the COVID-19 pandemic was relatively high. To decrease mental health issues among pregnant and postpartum women, healthcare professionals should implement community programs aimed at preventing, promptly identifying, and providing appropriate intervention for pregnant women. This is crucial as pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress during infectious disease outbreaks.

    Keywords: postpartum depression, COVID-19, Systematic review, Prevalence, Mental Disorders

    Received: 21 Mar 2024; Accepted: 18 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sahebi, Kheiry, abdi, qomi and Golitaleb. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mohamad Golitaleb, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Markazi, Iran

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.