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Pregnancy, mental well-being and lockdown: a nationwide online survey in France
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  • Laurent GAUCHER,
  • Chloé Barasinski,
  • Corinne Dupont,
  • Chantal Razurel,
  • Sylvie Viaux-Savelon,
  • Marion CORTET,
  • Nicolas FRANCK,
  • Frederic HAESEBAERT,
  • Julie Haesebaert
Laurent GAUCHER
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 / Hospices Civils de Lyon

Corresponding Author:laurent.gaucher@inserm.fr

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Chloé Barasinski
CHU de Clermont-Ferrand
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Corinne Dupont
Pole IMER des Hospices Civils de Lyon
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Chantal Razurel
HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland
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Sylvie Viaux-Savelon
Hospices Civils de Lyon
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Marion CORTET
Hospices Civils de Lyon
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Nicolas FRANCK
Centre Hospitalier du Vinatier
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Frederic HAESEBAERT
Centre Hospitalier du Vinatier
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Julie Haesebaert
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Hospices Civils de Lyon
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Abstract

Objective: To compare the mental well-being of French women who were and were not pregnant during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Design: Survey. Setting: France. Population: Women between 18 and 45 years of age during the second and third weeks of global lockdown (March 25–April 07, 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Nationwide online quantitative survey. Main Outcome Measures: Mental well-being measured by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Results: This study analysed 275 responses from pregnant women and compared them with those from a propensity score–matched sample of 825 non-pregnant women. The median WEMWBS score was 49.0 and did not differ by pregnancy status. Women living in urban areas reported better well-being, while those with sleep disorders or who spent more than an hour a day watching the news reported poorer well-being. Conclusion: During the first lockdown in France, women had relatively low mental well-being scores, with no significant difference between pregnant and non-pregnant women. More than ever, health-care workers need to find a way to maintain their support for women’s well-being. Minor daily annoyances of pregnancy, such as insomnia, should not be trivialised because they are a potential sign of poor well-being.