Psychological and emotional aspects of Covid 19 infection in pregnancy: A cross sectional study at a tertiary covid care centre

Abstract

Background: The very first piece of information about the Covid positivity causes much impact on the psychological and emotional status of the pregnant woman Aim: The aim of the study is to assesses the psychological and emotional aspects of covid infection on pregnant ladies by observing the prevalence rate of anxiety, depression and mental stress Materials and Method: This is a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 172, conducted at a tertiary covid care centre in Kannur District, for a period of 11 months. A DASS-21 Scoring system is adapted to assess the psychological and emotional status [1] Results: Though 24.42% are asymptomatic among the covid positive cases, most of them are worried about the prospects of the disease 28.1% had depression, 26.4% had anxiety and 11.9% had stress symptoms. The prevalence of these psychological aspects is more among educated and unemployed cases Conclusion: Covid-19 infection has a high implication on the psychological and emotional status of a pregnant lady. Psychological counseling is essential to all pregnant ladies, which should start from the very first instance of covid positivity.