New mothers are twice as likely to have post-natal depression in lockdown as many grieved for what they felt were lost opportunities for them and their baby, a UCL-led study has found.
Almost half (47.5 per cent) of women with babies aged six months or younger met the threshold for post-natal depression during the first Covid-19 lockdown, more than double average rates for Europe before the pandemic.
Women described feelings of isolation, exhaustion, worry, inadequacy, guilt, and increased stress while worrying about the developmental effect of social isolation on their child.
Those whose partners were unable or unavailable to help with parenting and domestic tasks, particularly where they were also dealing with the demands of home schooling, felt the negative effects of lockdown most acutely.
Researchers surveyed 162 mothers in London between May and June 2020 using a unique social network survey designed in response to lockdown.
Participants listed up to 25 people who were important to them and shared who they had interacted with and how, whether in person, by phone, video call or messaging on social media.
The women also reported on their well-being with researchers basing depression ratings on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the most commonly used tool. This allowed them to capture the full range of mothers’ social interactions, as well as their mental health.
The more contact new mums had with people, either remotely or face-to-face, the fewer depressive symptoms they reported, suggesting reduced social contact during lockdown may have increased the risk of postnatal depression.
However, where women had maintained some face-to-face contact with family members, they were actually more likely to have depressive symptoms than women who saw fewer of their relatives. Researchers think this reflects family responding to mums who were struggling with their mental health, potentially breaking lockdown rules to help them.
Many mothers felt that lockdown created a “burden of constant mothering” without anyone around to help, and that while virtual contact helped, it was still inadequate. However, not everything new mothers experienced as a result of lockdown was negative. Some felt it ‘protected’ family time, leading to better bonding.
UCL’s Dr Sarah Myers said: “Caring for a new baby is challenging and all new mothers suffer some level of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. It really does take a village to raise a child, especially in a crisis when everyone is dealing with increased demands, stresses and significant life events.
“Our survey shows that lockdowns leave new mothers more vulnerable to postnatal depression, and that digital solutions might help but they are not the answer. Policy makers must take this into account as we continue to deal with COVID-19, for the sake of mums, babies and whole families.”
The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
