The impact of COVID-19 on maternal mental health and social support in the postpartum period: A case-control study

BackgroundThe main objectives of this study were to assess depression, fear of COVID-19, and perceived social support in postpartum mothers during both groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and to study their impact on the psychological state of affected mothers and their perception of social support.Study designThis was a case-control, and analytical cohort study spanning 2021, including mothers with and without COVID-19 in the perinatal period.ResultsA sample of 140 mothers was included (73 tested COVID-19 positive, and 67 tested COVID-19 negative). The prevalence of postpartum depression was 90.40% among mothers with COVID-19 against 77.60% in the control group (<i>p</i> = 0.002). The mean score of fear of COVID-19 was comparable between the two groups. The affected mothers perceived less entourage availability (<i>p</i> = 0.001), while the satisfaction feeling was almost the same.ConclusionThe implementation of mental health services in maternal and child health units can help to provide psychological support and reduce the symptoms of psychological distress in mothers.