Table 1.
General characteristics of obstetrical patients who gave birth during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 216)
| Variables | PPD | Total | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes n = 64 |
No n = 152 |
n = 216 | ||
| Maternal Age in years (median, IQR) | 33 (30–36) | 33 (30–36) | 33 (30–36) | 0.756 |
| Infant age in days at time of interview (med, IQR) | 79 (68–89) | 75 (65–90) | 76 (66–90) | 0.353 |
| Month of Delivery in 2020 | ||||
| March | 10 (15.63%) | 29 (19.08%) | 39 (18.06%) | 0.595 |
| April | 27 (42.19%) | 55 (36.18%) | 82 (37.96%) | |
| May | 16 (25.00%) | 48 (31.58%) | 64 (29.63%) | |
| June | 11 (17.19%) | 20 (13.16%) | 31 (14.35%) | |
| Nulliparous vs multiparous | 34 (53.13%) | 84 (55.26%) | 118 (54.63%) | 0.773 |
| Person of color vs White | 22 (34.38%) | 47 (30.92%) | 69 (31.94%) | 0.619 |
| Marital status: Married/common law vs single/other | 61 (95.31%) | 143 (94.08%) | 204 (94.44%) | 0.718 |
| College Education or higher | 54 (84.38%) | 134 (88.16%) | 188 (87.04%) | 0.450 |
| Born in Canada | 45 (70.31%) | 114 (75.00%) | 159 (73.61%) | 0.475 |
| Speaks any of the following languages (all yes/no) | ||||
| Speaks English | 62 (96.88%) | 150 (98.68%) | 212 (98.15%) | 0.368 |
| Speaks French | 20 (31.25%) | 54 (35.53%) | 74 (34.26%) | 0.545 |
| Speaks another language | 9 (14.06%) | 20 (13.16%) | 29 (13.43%) | 0.859 |
| Combined household income above Ottawa median (120,000+) | ||||
| Above Ottawa median | 35 (54.69%) | 77 (50.66%) | 112 (51.85%) | 0.337 |
| Equal or below Ottawa median | 25 (39.06) | 55 (36.18) | 80 (37.04) | |
| Missing1 | - | - | 24 (11.11) | |
| Dwelling is owned | 38 (59.38) | 113 (74.34) | 151 (69.91) | 0.029 |
| Children’s care schedule during COVID-19 | ||||
| Children stopped going to school or daycare | 25 (39.06%) | 59 (38.82%) | 84 (38.89%) | 0.886 |
| Children’s schedule did not change | 5 (7.81%) | 9 (5.92%) | 14 (6.48%) | |
| No children | 34 (53.13%) | 84 (55.26%) | 118 (54.63%) | |
| Isolation due to COVID-19-19 restrictions (all yes/no) | 63 (98.44%) | 147 (96.71) | 210 (97.22%) | 0.481 |
| No baby shower | 35 (54.69%) | 64 (42.11%) | 99 (45.83%) | 0.090 |
| Family member couldn’t come to stay with me as planned | 38 (59.38%) | 70 (46.05%) | 108 (50.00%) | 0.074 |
| Friends and family could not visit my new baby | 55 (85.94%) | 115 (75.66%) | 170 (78.70%) | 0.092 |
| Missed out on community resources | 58 (90.63%) | 125 (82.24%) | 183 (84.72%) | 0.118 |
| Safety concerns about taking my baby outside the home | 59 (92.19%) | 126 (82.89%) | 185 (85.65%) | 0.075 |
| Positive coping strategies (yes/no) | 64 (100.00%) | 145 (95.39%) | 209 (96.76%) | 0.081 |
| Connecting with friends/family | 34 (53.13) | 95 (62.50) | 200 (92.59) | 0.650 |
| Exercising | 35 (54.69) | 91 (59.87) | 126 (58.33) | 0.469 |
| Getting professional help | 12 (18.75) | 13 (8.55) | 25 (11.57) | 0.096 |
| Negative coping patterns (yes/no) | 54 (84.38%) | 85 (55.92%) | 139 (64.35%) | <0.001 |
| Sleeping more or less than normal | 40 (62.50%) | 62 (40.79%) | 102 (47.22%) | 0.013 |
| Over or under eating, or eating more unhealthy foods | 39 (60.94%) | 55 (36.18%) | 94 (43.52%) | 0.004 |
| Acting violently, including self-harm1 | - | - | 5 (2.31) | 0.607 |
| Had any stress/anxiety about receiving | 55 (85.94) | 102 (67.11) | 157 (72.69) | 0.005 |
| Prenatal care (yes/no) | 51 (79.69%) | 85 (55.92%) | 136 (62.96%) | <0.001 |
| Labour and delivery (yes/no) | 33 (51.56%) | 52 (34.21%) | 85 (39.35%) | 0.017 |
| Post-partum care (yes/no) | 38 (59.38%) | 67 (44.08%) | 105 (48.61%) | 0.040 |
| Feeding method in the past week | ||||
| Breastmilk only | 33 (51.56%) | 103 (67.76%) | 136 (62.96%) | 0.148 |
| Formula | 14 (21.88%) | 22 (14.47%) | 36 (16.67%) | |
| Combined | 15 (23.44%) | 25 (16.45%) | 40 (18.52%) |
1. Small cells ≤ 5 are suppressed
NB. The study took place between March 16th to June 16th, 2020