TABLE 1.
Descriptive and bivariate statistics for stress, satisfaction, and feeling informed for women in the United States who gave birth during the COVID pandemic, 2020
| Characteristic |
Total participants N = 707 n (%) |
Stress score (1‐10) Mean 4.97 (SD 3.07) |
Satisfaction score (1‐5) Mean 1.52 (SD 0.96) |
Felt informed score (1‐6) Mean 1.71 (SD 1.08) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal age (y) | ||||
| 18‐24 | 28 (4.0) | |||
| 25‐34 | 454 (64.2) | |||
| 35‐44 | 223 (31.5) | |||
| 45+ | 2 (0.3) | |||
| Month of birth in 2020 | ||||
| March | 71 (10.1) | |||
| April | 194 (27.6) | |||
| May | 136 (19.4) | |||
| June | 101 (14.4) | |||
| July | 100 (14.3) | |||
| August | 68 (9.7) | |||
| September | 26 (3.7) | |||
| October | 5 (0.7) | |||
| November | 1 (0.1) | |||
| Bivariate P values for stress, satisfaction, felt informed | ||||
| Race/ethnicity a | .11 | .007* | .05* | |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 6 (0.9) | 7.50 | 1.83 | 2.33 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 14 (2.0) | 5.71 | 1.71 | 2.21 |
| Black | 25 (3.6) | 5.92 | 2.17 | 2.24 |
| Latinx | 68 (9.7) | 5.22 | 1.68 | 1.67 |
| Other | 3 (0.5) | 5.19 | 1.70 | 1.57 |
| Multiracial | 24 (3.4) | 5.18 | 1.86 | 1.77 |
| White | 610 (86.2) | 4.88 | 1.46 | 1.66 |
| Identifies as BIPOC b | .05* | .009* | .08 | |
| Yes | 121 (17.1) | 5.47 | 1.74 | 1.87 |
| No | 586 (82.9) | 4.87 | 1.47 | 1.67 |
| Education | .08 | .26 | .13 | |
| No high school diploma | 3 (0.4) | 8.33 | 2.67 | 3.00 |
| High school diploma/GED | 19 (2.7) | 3.78 | 1.35 | 1.33 |
| Some college/2‐year degree | 112 (15.8) | 5.40 | 1.65 | 1.78 |
| 4‐year degree | 281 (39.8) | 4.84 | 1.50 | 1.66 |
| Postgraduate degree | 292 (41.2) | 4.83 | 1.48 | 1.73 |
| Insurance type | .53 | .64 | .65 | |
| Commercial | 580 (82.5) | 4.95 | 1.49 | 1.68 |
| Medicaid | 68 (9.7) | 5.36 | 1.67 | 1.86 |
| Indian Health Service | 1 (0.1) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricare | 22 (3.1) | 4.24 | 1.48 | 1.76 |
| Other | 25 (3.6) | 5.16 | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| No insurance | 7 (1.0) | 4.71 | 1.71 | 1.43 |
| Parity | .87 | .34 | .24 | |
| 1 | 304 (43.1) | 4.99 | 1.60 | 1.78 |
| 2 | 275 (39.0) | 5.04 | 1.46 | 1.72 |
| 3 | 92 (13) | 4.94 | 1.52 | 1.58 |
| 4+ | 35 (5.0) | 5.00 | 1.23 | 1.29 |
| Region of residence c | .004* | .01* | .21 | |
| Northeast | 220 (31.2) | 5.51 | 1.67 | 1.80 |
| South | 189 (26.8) | 4.67 | 1.53 | 1.73 |
| Midwest | 218 (30.9) | 4.54 | 1.41 | 1.66 |
| West | 78 (11.1) | 5.30 | 1.34 | 1.51 |
| Provider type | .17 | .15 | .005* | |
| Midwife | 205 (29.0) | 4.93 | 1.45 | 1.49 |
| Family Doctor | 7 (1.0) | 7.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| OB/GYN | 492 (69.7) | 4.97 | 1.54 | 1.80 |
| No provider | 1 (0.2) | 2.00 | 2.50 | 1.00 |
| Mode of birth | .90 | <.0001* | .02* | |
| Vaginal | 515 (73.0) | 4.99 | 1.41 | 1.64 |
| Cesarean | 162 (23.0) | 4.88 | 1.77 | 1.89 |
| Vacuum/forceps | 29 (4.1) | 5.11 | 1.96 | 1.89 |
| Birth setting | .04* | .0002* | <.0001* | |
| In hospital/attached birth center | 64 (9.1) | 5.24 | 1.42 | 1.78 |
| Freestanding birth center | 21 (3.0) | 5.10 | 1.00 | 1.09 |
| Home | 70 (10.0) | 4.40 | 1.16 | 1.21 |
| Hospital | 542 (77.3) | 4.98 | 1.59 | 1.78 |
* indicates p‐value < 0.05
The lower the score (closer to 1) for Stress, Satisfaction, and Felt Informed, the better the experience (ie, lower stress, greater satisfaction, and better informed).
Participants could identify as a race and Latinx ethnicity separately.
BIPOC = Black, Indigenous, Person of Color. Participant self‐identifies as any race other than white or as Latinx ethnicity.
Regions of residence: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT), South (AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX,VA, and WV), Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, and WI), West (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WY).