The role of perceived social support on pregnant women's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The present study aimed at investigating which sources of social support best account for pregnant women's levels of psychological distress and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods 274 Italian and Canadian expectant mothers completed an online-based survey including measures of perceived social support (from family, significant other and friends), state anxiety, depressive symptoms, and satisfaction with life. Correlation analyses and amultivariate analysis of covariance were performed to explore how social support from different sources was related to depressive symptoms, state anxiety and satisfaction with life. Results Different sources of social support contributed to explaining women's psychological distress and mental well-being. Social support both from family and friends was significantly related to women's state anxiety and depressive symptoms. Social support from friends was specifically related to women's satisfaction with life. Conclusion Our findings endorse the crucial role of perceived social support as a protective factor for pregnant women's mental health. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, our results suggest that support from family seems important in preventing psychological distress, whereas support from friends is also associated with mental well-being. These results may help designing future interventions aimed at improving women's perinatal mental health in life-threatening conditions.