Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a particularly adverse and stressful environment for expecting mothers, possibly enhancing feelings of anxiety and parenting stress. The present work assesses mothers' anxiety levels at delivery and parenting stress after 3 months as moderated by home-visiting sessions. Methods: Women (n = 177) in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during the COVID-19 lockdown were enrolled in northern Italy and split into those who did and did not receive home visits. After 3 months, the association between anxiety at delivery and parenting stress was assessed with bivariate correlations in the whole sample and comparing the two groups. Results: Higher anxiety at birth correlated with greater perceived stress after 3 months. Mothers who received at least one home-visiting session reported lower parenting stress at 3 months than counterparts who did not receive home visits. Conclusions for Practice: The perinatal period is a sensitive time window for mother-infant health, especially during a critical time like the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that home-visiting programs could be beneficial during global healthcare emergencies to promote maternal well-being after delivery.

Roberti, E., Giacchero, R., Grumi, S., Biasucci, G., Cuzzani, L., Decembrino, L., et al. (2022). Post-partum Women’s Anxiety and Parenting Stress: Home-Visiting Protective Effect During the COVID-19 Pandemic. MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH JOURNAL, 26(11), 2308-2317 [10.1007/s10995-022-03540-0].

Post-partum Women’s Anxiety and Parenting Stress: Home-Visiting Protective Effect During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Roberti, Elisa
Primo
;
Grumi, Serena;Nacinovich, Renata;Provenzi, Livio
Ultimo
2022

Abstract

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a particularly adverse and stressful environment for expecting mothers, possibly enhancing feelings of anxiety and parenting stress. The present work assesses mothers' anxiety levels at delivery and parenting stress after 3 months as moderated by home-visiting sessions. Methods: Women (n = 177) in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during the COVID-19 lockdown were enrolled in northern Italy and split into those who did and did not receive home visits. After 3 months, the association between anxiety at delivery and parenting stress was assessed with bivariate correlations in the whole sample and comparing the two groups. Results: Higher anxiety at birth correlated with greater perceived stress after 3 months. Mothers who received at least one home-visiting session reported lower parenting stress at 3 months than counterparts who did not receive home visits. Conclusions for Practice: The perinatal period is a sensitive time window for mother-infant health, especially during a critical time like the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that home-visiting programs could be beneficial during global healthcare emergencies to promote maternal well-being after delivery.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Anxiety; COVID-19; Home-visiting; Mothers; Parenting stress;
English
24-set-2022
2022
26
11
2308
2317
open
Roberti, E., Giacchero, R., Grumi, S., Biasucci, G., Cuzzani, L., Decembrino, L., et al. (2022). Post-partum Women’s Anxiety and Parenting Stress: Home-Visiting Protective Effect During the COVID-19 Pandemic. MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH JOURNAL, 26(11), 2308-2317 [10.1007/s10995-022-03540-0].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/393228
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