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Impact of COVID‐19 on psychosocial functioning of peripartum women: A qualitative study comprising focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews
Author(s) -
Kumari Archana,
Ranjan Piyush,
Sharma K. Aparna,
Sahu Anamika,
Bharti Juhi,
Zangmo Rinchen,
Bhatla Neerja
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.13524
Subject(s) - medicine , focus group , qualitative research , psychosocial , covid-19 , gerontology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , social science , marketing , sociology , business , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Objective Peripartum is a period of profound hormonal changes in the body and COVID‐19 seems to have an additional impact on these women's psychosocial functioning. This calls for a need to address the psychosocial and behavioural impact of COVID‐19 on peripartum women's lives. Methods Three focus group discussions and ten in‐depth interviews were conducted. A format to guide discussions and interviews was made to bring uniformity across groups and participants. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. In verbatim transcription was done, followed by thematic analysis to extract key conceptual themes. Results Fourteen pregnant and eleven postpartum women were included. The mean age was 28.5 years. Two major domains were identified: 1) the psychological domain including the categories of thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, and 2) the social domain comprising categories of relationships with family members and friends, perceived loss of social support, doctor‐patient relationship, and social determinants of health. Conclusion The pandemic has indeed affected the psychosocial functioning of peripartum women. The study results might prove to be helpful for clinicians and mental health specialists who can suggest and develop different coping strategies for peripartum women during this pandemic.