The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Depression and Sexual Function: Are Pregnant Women Affected More Adversely?

Objective:  To investigate depression and sexual function among pregnant and non-pregnant women throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:  A total of 188 women, 96 pregnant and 92 non-pregnant were included. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) were applied to the participants after obtaining sociodemographic data.

Results:  The depression scores of pregnant and non-pregnant women were similar ( = 0.846). We found that the depression scores were significantly higher among the group of participants who have lower economic status ( = 0.046). Moreover, the depression score was significantly higher among women who lost their income during the pandemic ( = 0.027). The score on the ASEX was significantly higher, and sexual dysfunction was more prevalent among women who have lower levels of schooling and income ( < 0.05). Likewise, the ASEX scores were significantly higher ( = 0.019) among the group who experienced greater income loss throughout the pandemic. Upon comparing the pregnant and non-pregnant groups, we detected that sexual dysfunction had a significantly higher rate among pregnant women ( < 0.001).

Conclusion:  In times of global crisis, such as the current pandemic, low-income families have an increased risk of experiencing depression and sexual dysfunction. When we compared pregnant women with non-pregnant women, depression scores were similar, but pregnant women were at a 6.2 times higher risk of developing sexual dysfunction.