Title: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Maternal Mental Health
Name: Meghan Majors
Primary Presenters: Meghan Majors
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare
Masters
Faculty Sponsor(s): Dr. Colleen Janczewski
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress in the general population. Populations that are already at risk for poor mental health outcomes may be even more vulnerable during the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes among low-income mothers with young children.
Methods: The study uses a sample of low-income women who received home visiting services in Wisconsin. Data are from the second timepoint of a longitudinal survey administered when the index child is between 1 and 2 years old. The final sample includes 926 respondents who completed Time 2 before the COVID-19 pandemic and 206 who completed Time 2 during COVID-19. Mental health outcomes include global mental health, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. Differences in mean scores and prevalence rates were assessed using the independent sample t-test and chi-square.
Results: Compared to pre-pandemic respondents, respondents during the pandemic had on average worse global mental health and post-traumatic stress. A greater proportion of pandemic respondents also reported at least one PTSD symptom. Specifically, there was a significant increase in the prevalence in two PTSD symptoms: nightmares/intrusive thoughts and avoidance. Anxiety and depression also worsened but these differences were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: The results of this study show the clear impact of COVID-19 in a population that is already at greater risk of poor mental health. This has implications for providers, who will need to be prepared for an increase in maternal mental health problems and the corresponding effects on child outcomes. Future research will be necessary to understand the longevity of the effects of COVID-19 on maternal mental health.
https://sites.uwm.edu/healthresearchsymposium/files/formidable/2/Majors-References.docx
This research is very intriguing and interesting – great presentation Meghan! While the findings are not positive, knowing this issue exists will help clinicians and social workers better prepare for how to support mothers and their children.
It will be interesting to see how this research will allow for there to be foundational support to build on addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on children and mothers. Awesome work!!
Thank you so much for presenting this research! I really appreciate how intentionally this information was organized. There are so many unknowns on the long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I believe the work that Meghan is doing will be key for properly understanding how best to support specific populations moving forward.
Great presentation! It’s interesting that there wasn’t a significant increase in depression or anxiety but that PTSD symptoms increased. Understanding that more deeply can help to target intervention and support. Great work!
Thank you! I feel like the increase in depression or anxiety could be significant if we were looking at a larger sample or over a longer period of time.