Mental Health Education for Pregnant Women during The Pandemic COVID-19 in Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Lack of knowledge of pregnant women to recognize signs and symptoms, early detection, and prevention efforts are the main factors for increasing risk of depression. This study aims to analyze the effect of mental health education on knowledge and self-efficacy of Indonesian pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was a quasi-experimental design. The population were pregnant women who performed antenatal care in four primary health cares in Surakarta with Basic Emergency Obstetric Neonatal Care. The sample inclusion criteria were 127 pregnant women with gestational age of 24-36 weeks, who did not have a family history of mental disorders, singleton pregnancy, and participated in the intervention from the beginning to the end of the study. Pregnant women who had pregnancy complications were excluded from study. The sample sizes in the intervention and control groups were 67 and 60 pregnant women, respectively. Personal psychoeducation intervention was carried out during antenatal care by trained midwives. During the intervention, materials were presented in modules, videos were shared through WhatsApp's groups and discussions also. The depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and independent t-test. The mean score of knowledge and self-efficacy, increased after the intervention. Depressive symptom scores decreased after the intervention and were significantly different from the control group.Mental health education interventions for pregnant women using modules and videos can enhance the knowledge and self-efficacy of pregnant women to prevent antenatal and postnatal depression.