Evaluation of Mental Health Status of the Pregnant Women Working in Hospitals During Covid-19 Era: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Many women and pregnant women are front-line health care workers in the COVID-19 era and are worried about the possible impacts of COVID-19 on their fetuses. Due to the pressure and high working load on the healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis, the healthcare workers were potentially at risk of different types of mental health disorders. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the correlation between mental health status and the level of COVID- 19-related anxiety in pregnant healthcare workers in the COVID-19 era in Iran from August 2020 to December 2020. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 64 pregnant clinical residents, general physicians, nurses and other medical staff who worked in hospitals in Iran, from August 2020 to December 2020 using an anonymous online survey available on the Google Form platform. The online survey consisted of socio-demographic questions, pregnancy-related questions, and questions about medical/drug history. The participants filled the Persian versions of General Health Questionnaire – 28 (GHQ-28) and Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS). Results: The participants' mean age and gestational age were 31.3±3.9 years, and 24.5±10.1 weeks respectively. Psychological problems were moderate (total score GHQ-28> 40) in 9.4% (n: 6) of pregnant healthcare workers. The frequency of moderate/severe problems in the four subclasses, including somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression were 9(14.1%), 25(39.0%), 7(10.9%), and 10(15.6%), respectively. According to CDAS, 26.5% of participants had moderate to severe COVID-19-related anxiety. COVID-19-related anxiety and its subclasses, physical and psychological, were significantly correlated with the GHQ-28 total score and its subclasses, including somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression among pregnant healthcare workers (p<0.01). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, over 25% of pregnant health care workers have moderate to severe COVID-19-related anxiety; so, it is crucial for policymakers to focus on the mental health of pregnant health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.