Anxiety in Pregnant Women during COVID-19 Pandemi: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemi raises anxiety in most pregnant women as they worry about the impact of the COVID-19 virus on their baby's condition. Anxiety in pregnancy is a condition characterized by feelings of worry about bad events that will happen to pregnant women. The incidence of anxiety in pregnancy increased during the COVID-19 pandemi by 15 to 23%. This study aimed to systematically review the anxiety in pregnancy during COVID-19 pandemi. Subjects and Method: This was a systematic review conducted using electronic databases, including Science Direct andPubmed. The research question was formulated by: (1) Population= Pregnant women; (2) Intervention= COVID-19 pandemi; (3) Compa-rison= not COVID-19 pandemi; and (4) Outcome= anx iety. The keywords were “anxiety” AND “COVID - 19” AND “pregnant women”. The inclusion criteria were full -text articles published between 2020 to 2021. Results: There were three types of anxiety: (1) Reality or objective anxiety; (2) Anxiety neurosis; and (3) Moral anxiety. Symptoms of anxiety were divided into 2 types: (1) Physical and (2) Mental symptoms. The risk factors were internal stress and external stress. The fear of pregnant women facing labor during COVID-19 pandemi increased the level of anxiety, especially in third trimester of pregnancy. The level of anxiety had negative impact on obstetric outcomes such as complicated labor and risk of cesarean delivery. Conclusion: Pregnant women experience increased anxiety during pregnancy and birth delivery in COVID-19 pandemi period.