Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Relationships Between Social Support, COVID-19 Stress, and Birth Outcomes
Abstract
On March 13, 2020, President Joe Biden declared a national lockdown and State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from a variety of disciplines have examined the impact of this event on different populations. My population of interest is mothers who gave birth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For my study, I am utilizing online survey methodology to collect data on infants who were born between December of 2020 and December of 2021 so that the data will reflect that of mothers who were pregnant during the COVID-19 lockdowns. My measures for the study are the Perceived Covid-19 Stress Scale (PSS-10-C), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSS), and the Pregnancy and Birth Stress Inventory (PBSI). Caregivers will complete an anonymous online survey that includes the aforementioned measures and will have the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for one of 15, $25 gift cards as an incentive for participation. Data collection for this project is currently in progress, so results cannot yet be reported. However, we expect to see COVID-19 stress correlate positively with adverse birth outcomes as reported in the PBSI and to correlate negatively with perceived social support as measured by the PSS. Furthermore, we expect that perceived social support will act as a mediator between perceived COVID-19 stress and negative birth outcomes. Such results would support the idea that perceived social support was one of the primary variables affecting birth outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications of these findings include a more comprehensive understanding of pandemic-related health concerns and useful information for future pandemic responses should they be needed. More generally, these findings will provide critical insights into environmental and social factors affecting perinatal mental health and can be referenced under normal, non-pandemic circumstances to shape holistic interventions for pregnant individuals.
Start Time
15-4-2026 10:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 11:00 AM
Room Number
271
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
UG Orals
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Wallace Dixon
Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Relationships Between Social Support, COVID-19 Stress, and Birth Outcomes
271
On March 13, 2020, President Joe Biden declared a national lockdown and State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from a variety of disciplines have examined the impact of this event on different populations. My population of interest is mothers who gave birth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For my study, I am utilizing online survey methodology to collect data on infants who were born between December of 2020 and December of 2021 so that the data will reflect that of mothers who were pregnant during the COVID-19 lockdowns. My measures for the study are the Perceived Covid-19 Stress Scale (PSS-10-C), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSS), and the Pregnancy and Birth Stress Inventory (PBSI). Caregivers will complete an anonymous online survey that includes the aforementioned measures and will have the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for one of 15, $25 gift cards as an incentive for participation. Data collection for this project is currently in progress, so results cannot yet be reported. However, we expect to see COVID-19 stress correlate positively with adverse birth outcomes as reported in the PBSI and to correlate negatively with perceived social support as measured by the PSS. Furthermore, we expect that perceived social support will act as a mediator between perceived COVID-19 stress and negative birth outcomes. Such results would support the idea that perceived social support was one of the primary variables affecting birth outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications of these findings include a more comprehensive understanding of pandemic-related health concerns and useful information for future pandemic responses should they be needed. More generally, these findings will provide critical insights into environmental and social factors affecting perinatal mental health and can be referenced under normal, non-pandemic circumstances to shape holistic interventions for pregnant individuals.
