Pregnant in a Pandemic: Connecting Perceptions of Uplifts and Hassles to Mental Health

Overview

Journal J Health Psychol

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Psychology

Date 2022 Aug 29

PMID 36036227

Authors

Stephanie M Reich

Nestor Tulagan

Melissa Dahlin

Sina Labaff

Nikil Dutt

Amir Rahmani

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

How women experience pregnancy as uplifting or a hassle is related to their mental and physical health and birth outcomes. Pregnancy during a pandemic introduces new hassles, but may offer benefits that could affect how women perceive their pregnancy. Surveying 118 ethnically and racially diverse pregnant women, we explore (1) women's traditional and pandemic-related pregnancy uplifts and hassles and (2) how these experiences of pregnancy relate to their feelings of loneliness, positivity, depression, and anxiety. Regressions show that women who experience more intense feelings of uplifts than hassles also feel more positive, less lonely, and have better mental health. Findings suggest that focusing on positive aspects of being pregnant, in general and during a pandemic, might be beneficial for pregnant women's mental health.

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