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Title
Antenatal Depression and the Impact of COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts in Australia
Publication Date
2021-02-10
Open Access
Yes
Abstract
The mitigation efforts of COVID-19 have led to significant changes to the delivery of routine healthcare globally. In Australia, the way maternal health services have been delivered since the beginning of the pandemic has also changed. Maternity care and support are known to influence maternal mental health. One hundred and eighty-eight English speaking pregnant women residing in Australia were recruited using social media advertising between September and November 2020 as part of a larger study. Participants were aged between 19 and 42 (<i>M</i> = 31.05, <i>SD</i> = 4.68). Compared with previous Australian prevalence rates of around 7% for antenatal depression, rates in this study were 15.9% overall and 19% for those in Melbourne. It is suggested that increased vigilance with screening and assessment will be required to identify and support this cohort of mothers who are not coping.
Publication Type
Working Paper
Publisher
Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science and the Center for Open Science
Place of Publication
United States of America
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020
HERDC Category Description
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