ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1588589
This article is part of the Research TopicMental Health of Vulnerable Groups: Predictors, Mechanisms, and InterventionsView all 26 articles
The association between perceived COVID-19 related discrimination and probable depression among pregnant women in the post-pandemic era: a cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Third Affliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 2School of Nursing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 3The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
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The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has substantially influenced the physical and psychological well-being of populations who survived the pandemic. Discrimination against infected individuals has been a public health concern and identified as a risk factor for mental health issues. However, little empirical evidence is available to support its role in psychological disorders during prenatal period. The current study aims to investigate the association between COVID-19-related discrimination and probable depression among women in their early pregnancy. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1 to August 31, 2023 using anonymous online questionnaire among women in their first trimester of pregnancy in the antenatal care clinic of three hospitals. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to screen antenatal depression. Logistic regression model was employed to assess the relationship between COVID-19-related discrimination and antenatal depression. 3608 pregnant women were enrolled in this study, of whom 657were screened positive for antenatal depression (AND) resulting in a prevalence of 18.2%. More than a third of the participants experienced COVID-19-related discrimination. The logistic regression model showed greater prevalence of probable depression in pregnant women who encountered COVID-19-related discrimination compared with those who did not.This study provided novel evidence for the association between COVID-19-related discrimination and probable depression in pregnant women, highlighting an associated factor that may be relevant for supportive interventions in the post-pandemic era.
Keywords: Coronavirus, Antenatal Depression, epidemic, Risk factors, China
Received: 06 Mar 2025; Accepted: 22 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liang, Chen, Li, Liu and Xiong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ribo Xiong, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
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