The contribution of self-compassion and social support to women's mental health during pregnancy: A comparison between international and national crisis periods.

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the contribution of self-compassion and perceived social support from family, partner, and friends, along with pregnancy-related variables, and concerns about the fetus and childbirth, to pregnant women's mental health, comparing two different crises.

Method: A sample of 220 women was recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic, and another sample of 224 women was recruited during the Israel-Hamas war. Participants were enrolled through a convenience sample and completed a set of self-report questionnaires.

Results: Women's mental health, self-compassion, and perceived support from family and partner were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the war. Furthermore, women's mental health had positive and significant associations with self-compassion and perceived social support from all sources. Moreover, the association between self-compassion and mental health was moderated by the event.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that the pregnancy period should be examined under various unique stressful events to better understand the appropriate coping resources that can ameliorate women's stress due to a major stressful event alongside the challenges inherent in pregnancy itself. They also suggest that self-compassion is a context-dependent variable and more dynamic than previously understood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).