The protective role of postpartum resilience on anxiety rates of Brazilian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

O papel protetor da resiliência pós-parto nas taxas de ansiedade de mães brasileiras durante a pandemia de COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Objective:

We evaluated the protective effect of postpartum resilience (measured before the pandemic onset) on the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods:

The sample included 589 mothers from a longitudinal study in southern Brazil. Three months after delivery we assessed maternal resilience through the Resilience Scale (RS). The Generalized Anxiety Disorders 7-item (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results:

The prevalence of severe to moderate anxiety symptoms in this sample was 28.4% (95% CI: 25.0; 32.0). Resilience showed to be a protective factor against moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during the pandemic (OR: 0.98; p<0.001).

Conclusions:

The results showed that postpartum resilience is a factor associated with lower odds of a more intense manifestation of anxiety during pandemic periods. Thus, strengthening resilience by reinforcing appropriate coping strategies can prevent mental health problems.

KEYWORDS
COVID-19; mental health; maternal anxiety; anxiety; resilience; psychological