The protective role of postpartum resilience on anxiety rates of Brazilian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective: We evaluated the protective effect of postpartum resilience (measured before the pandemic onset) on the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The sample included 589 mothers from a longitudinal study in sout...

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Published inJornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria Vol. 72; no. 3; pp. 184 - 190
Main Authors Carolina Coelho Scholl, Fernanda Teixeira Coelho, Bárbara Borges Rubin, Caroline Nickel Ávila, Isabela Petry, Kathreim Macedo da Rosa, Rayssa da Luz Martins, Victória Duquia da Silva, Mariana Weizer, Jéssica Puchalski Trettim, Mariana Bonati de Matos, Ricardo Tavares Pinheiro, Luciana de Avila Quevedo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 01.08.2023
Subjects
anxiety
COVID-19
maternal anxiety
mental health
psychological
resilience
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Summary:ABSTRACT Objective: We evaluated the protective effect of postpartum resilience (measured before the pandemic onset) on the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The sample included 589 mothers from a longitudinal study in southern Brazil. Three months after delivery we assessed maternal resilience through the Resilience Scale (RS). The Generalized Anxiety Disorders 7-item (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The prevalence of severe to moderate anxiety symptoms in this sample was 28.4% (95% CI: 25.0; 32.0). Resilience showed to be a protective factor against moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the pandemic (OR: 0.98; p<0.001). Conclusions: The results showed that postpartum resilience is a factor associated with lower odds of a more intense manifestation of anxiety during pandemic periods. Thus, strengthening resilience by reinforcing appropriate coping strategies can prevent mental health problems.
ISSN:1982-0208
DOI:10.1590/0047-2085000000421