Anxiety and depression symptoms in pregnant women at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among women giving birth at a public hospital at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine factors associated with depression and anxiety.Methods: Women giving birth at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in January 2023 were invited to complete a questionnaire.Data collected included age, marital status, economic status, education level, employment status, health personnel status, presence of comorbidities, history and severity of COVID, and whether their antenatal or intrapartum care was affected by COVID.The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7) were used to evaluate depression and anxiety, respectively.Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with depression and anxiety.Results: Among 100 participants, 26% had mild depression or above (PHQ-9 score ≥5), 36% had mild anxiety or above (GAD-7 score ≥5), and 1% had severe depression and anxiety.Women with birth companion delayed or prohibited during labour were associated with higher GAD-7 scores (p=0.015). Conclusion:At the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, women with birth companion delayed or prohibited during labour are associated with higher anxiety levels.