Lockdown ‘caused postnatal depression rates to double’
Lockdown has caused rates of postnatal depression to double, with women feeling abandoned in the early weeks of motherhood, a study suggests.
A survey found that almost half of women with babies aged six months or younger met the threshold between May and June last year.
New mothers described feelings of isolation, exhaustion, worry and inadequacy as they were forced to negotiate the challenges of caring for a newborn without support from friends and family.
The research team at University College London also found that women "grieved" for lost opportunities for them and their baby and worried about the developmental impact of social isolation.
Those whose partners were unable to help with parenting and domestic tasks felt the negative impact of lockdown most acutely, the study found.
The more contact new mothers had with others, either face-to-face or remotely, the fewer depressive symptoms they reported.
However, where women maintained face-to-face contact with family members, they tended to show more depressive symptoms. This was likely to be a result of family members breaking lockdown rules to be with the new mother because they were suffering in the first place, the researchers said.
The team surveyed 162 new mothers during the first lockdown, finding that 47.5 per cent had suffered postnatal depression. The background European rate before the pandemic was 23 per cent.
Dr Saray Myers, from UCL’s department of Anthropology, said: "It really does take a village to raise a child, especially in a crisis when everyone is dealing with increased demands, stresses and significant life events.
"Our survey shows that lockdowns leave new mothers more vulnerable to postnatal depression, and that digital solutions might help but they are not the answer.
"Policy makers must take this into account as we continue to deal with Covid-19, for the sake of mums, babies and whole families."
Many mothers felt that lockdown created a "burden of constant mothering" without anyone around to help, the survey found.
While virtual contact in the form of phone calls and Zoom provided some help, it was not adequate, because it meant women had to actively ask for help because often their support network could not see them struggling.
Dr Emily Emmott, who also worked on the study, said: "New mothers with more than one child were hardest hit, left to deal with newborns on top of multiple demands like home schooling.
"First-time mothers often felt cheated out of precious time spent together with their babies and family or friends, making coming to terms with the change of identity and isolation that new mothers often feel even harder."
She added: "But where partners were at home more because of lockdown, and able to share the relentless tasks and household chores or take care of existing children, new mums felt the benefits.
"Some reported that it helped everyone develop closer relationships and that the family benefited overall from spending this time together."
The new research is published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
