Pregnant women in Japan had higher levels of anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic
Pregnant women in Japan who responded to an online survey early in the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated higher levels of anxiety compared to women undergoing fertility treatments and to pregnant women in Iran.
The findings were published in the
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.
The pandemic has changed the social environments of pregnant women and fertility patients."
Koubon Wakashima, Clinical Psychologist, Tohoku University
For example, restrictions in Japan meant that pregnant women have been unable to participate in group parenting classes or travel to their parents' homes to receive traditional childbirth assistance. Medical institutions in the country reported fewer women accessing infertility treatments.