Psychological distress and concerns of perinatal women during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic - a case study and empirical comparative examination

Abstract To thoroughly understand concerns and anxieties of women in the perinatal stage, which is a vulnerable time in and of itself, and even more so in the face of stressful periods such as the COVID- 19 pandemic. Focusing on the transition to motherhood during the first year of the pandemic in Israel, we present a clinical case-study of therapeutic sessions with a pregnant patient, along with an empirical study that analyzes data collected from perinatal women at six points over 14 months, from the early days of the pandemic to the national vaccination program. The study examined psychological distress, concerns for the health of the fetus/infant, and anxiety over visiting medical facilities for fertility/pregnancy/infant checkups, comparing women in the transition to motherhood ( n = 2800) with experienced mothers who were pregnant or had given birth lately up to two years ( n = 2017). Analysis of the case-study through psychoanalytic lens reveals gaps between the way the inner world affects the woman’s experience and more “objective” reality. The empirical study similarly identified gaps between psychological distress and “objective” reality. The results highlight the need to monitor perinatal women during a crisis and provide them with tools to handle their distress, which may affect not only their own well-being, but also that of their fetus/infant.