JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

COVID-19 is one of the emerging infectious diseases that has confronted the world. Pregnant women are particularly affected.

Objective:

The present study assessed the level of perceived threat (susceptibility, severity, impact), negative emotions (fear, worry) and self-efficacy of COVID-19, and examined their association with mental health (depression and anxiety) and personal protective behavior (wearing face mask) among pregnant women in China.

Methods:

A total of 4,087 pregnant women from China completed a cross-sectional online survey between 3 to 10 March 2020.

Results:

The prevalence of probable depression and anxiety was 48.7% and 33.0% respectively; 23.8% reported always wearing face mask when going out. Between 32.1% to 36.4% of participants perceived themselves or their family members susceptible to COVID-19 infection, between 78.7% to 86.1% agreed the disease would have various severe consequences. Between 54.7% to 55.7% showed self-efficacy in protecting themselves or their family members from contracting COVID-19; 31.8% reported a high level of fear to the disease, and 68% to 74.8% showed worries about various aspects of COVID-19. Results from multivariate multinominal logistic regressions showed that perceived severity, perceived impact, fear and worry were risk factors, while self-efficacy was a protective factor for probable depression and anxiety. Results from multivariate logistic regression showed that perceived susceptibility was associated with always wearing face mask.

Conclusions:

Chinese pregnant women showed high level of mental distress but low level of personal protective behavior during the COVID-19 period. Interventions are needed to promote their mental health and health behavior.