Diventare genitori durante la pandemia: tra sfide e risorse

Transition to parenthood represents a critical experience as it entails profound changes, which, in turn, can lead to negative consequences on the individual and relational well-being of new parents. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an additional stressful event that can exacerbate the potentially negative effects of such transition. During the first lockdown (March-May 2020), 575 pregnant women or new mothers completed an online survey with the aim of investigating their psychological well-being. Both the new and the expectant mothers were administered a series of questionnaires to investigate anxiety (state and trait) and depression. In addition, pregnant women completed a questionnaire assessing fear of childbirth. Childbirth experience and Postpartum Traumatic Disorder, on the other end, were only assessed with regards to the new mothers’ subsample. Results show that the presence of certain stressful variables can affect the well-being of pregnant and postpartum women and have an impact on their subjective experience of childbirth. More specifically, having had previous pregnancies as well as having suffered from one or more clinical disorders in the past proved to have a negative impact on both new and expectant mothers’ well-being, especially with regards to measures of anxiety and depression. Giving birth during the COVID-19 outbreak meant, for the women, experiencing an additional stress during a particularly delicate time; in this respect, the likelihood of their partners not being allowed to assist them during labor and delivery caused an increase in both anxiety and fear of childbirth scores. Overall, this study clearly highlights how the presence of support (either formal or informal) in the immediate postpartum and during labor and delivery is a crucial protective factor in preventing women from developing anxious or posttraumatic symptoms. We believe these findings may prove particularly useful, especially in informing clinical practice and formalizing consistent, nationwide guidelines for the care of pregnant women and new mothers.