An exploration into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health in high-and middle- income countries with a case study in East Sussex

BackgroundThe physical isolation that the Coronavirus pandemic enforced resulted in a decline in mental health that disproportionally affected higher risk individuals, including women in the perinatal period. The wellbeing of perinatal women was, at times, neglected due to hospital and governmental isolation regulations. The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review and Key Informant Interviews (KII) to identify gaps and opportunities for further research, and to distinguish discrepancies and correlations between the two sources of information. MethodsTwo methods were utilised: a scoping review and KIIs. The scoping review identified relevant articles through a database search on Google Scholar, PubMed and EBSCO. The KIIs were conducted virtually with counsellors working in a maternal mental health charity in South-East England. Both methods collected qualitative data and were thematically analysed. Results95 articles were eligible for the review and 5 participants were recruited for the KIIs. Thematic analysis revealed 6 themes in both sources (1) demographics; (2) support; (3) policy; (4) insecurity; (5) anxiety; and (6) milestones. Between the two datasets there were no disparities in the impacts of changing policies, fear of the virus, and the grief caused by missing perinatal milestones on mental health. Significant discrepancies were identified in the influence of demographic characteristics, which was a risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes. ConclusionThe most prominent theme in the review is the reduced support available, whilst the KIIs indicate that changing hospital policies are the main cause of harm to perinatal mental health. Birth trauma is deemed to be of significance in the interviews but not in the literature. Further research should focus on the impact of the pandemic on recovery following birth trauma to identify long-term implications and facilitate policy changes to reduce the risk of birth trauma/ post-traumatic stress disorder.