Subjective social status, COVID-19 health worries, and mental health symptoms in perinatal women

SSM: Population Health

Leena Mittal¹  Amanda Koire²  Carmina Erdei³  Cindy H. Liu⁴ 

[1] Corresponding author. Department of Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA.;Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA;Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA;Department of Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA;

关键词: Stress;    Health anxiety;    Anxiety;    Depression;    Pregnancy;    Postpartum;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Pregnant women and those who have recently given birth are considered an at-risk population during the COVID-19 pandemic with regards to the impact of both general stress and pandemic-related stressors. The extent to which subjective social status (SSS), one's perception of relative standing compared to others in a social hierarchy, might mitigate the effects of COVID-19-related health worries on mental health has not yet been reported, despite SSS often outperforming socioeconomic status as a predictor of various health outcomes including depression. This cross-sectional survey study tested the moderating effect of SSS on association between COVID-19- related health worries and mental health symptoms (depressive and generalized anxiety) among a sample of 1,637 perinatal women from the United States who took part in the Perinatal Experiences and COVID-19 Effects (PEACE) Study between May 2020 and June 2021. We found that high subjective social status was protective against depressive symptoms when self-reported COVID-19-related worry was low. When COVID-19-related worry was high, subjective social status was no longer influential. Higher levels of COVID-19-related health worries were associated with more anxiety symptoms, and higher subjective social status did not moderate anxiety symptomatology at either level of COVID-19-related worry. Although higher SSS has historically been protective against mental health decline, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic it may not be sufficiently protective against anxiety, or against depression for those who experience high levels of worry regarding the effects of COVID-19 on health.

【 授权许可】

Unknown