About the Study
More about the Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic Study
Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are normal parts of life. Sometimes stress and anxiety can be helpful. Other times stress and anxiety can do the exact opposite – we feel unable to keep going.
One of the big questions pregnant people are asking these days is whether their stress and anxiety affect the development of their baby. Evidence seems to indicate that there are some positive effects on the development of the baby when pregnant individuals experience mild stress or anxiety during their pregnancy. But higher levels of stress and anxiety during pregnancy have the opposite effect.
So how much is an acceptable amount of stress and anxiety?
There is no precise answer to this question and finding a clear answer is one of the reasons we are studying pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic study seeks to understand how the mental and physical wellbeing of people who are pregnant and their babies are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. By studying the well-being of pregnant individuals and their babies, we will learn more about how to support families and their developing babies during times of uncertainty, stress, or anxiety. This is important because it is possible to reduce or prevent the negative effects of stress and anxiety and doing so contributes to more positive outcomes.
What does the study involve?
Participants are asked to complete questionnaires at several timepoints during pregnancy, after delivery, and during their baby’s first few years of life. The initial questionnaire requires 30 - 40 minutes to complete and the follow-up questionnaires about 15-20 minutes to complete. We are launching our 2-year follow-up questionnaire in April 2022.
In optional follow-up studies, we are also collecting biological samples, such as hair and saliva in order to learn more about the ways that stress affects biological indicators of stress in pregnant people and their babies.
Who are we hoping to study?
People who are pregnant from all walks of life across Canada have chosen to be part of our study. Every person’s story and experiences are unique and provide new insight into the ways that COVID-19 affects pregnancy. As of March 2022, we have recruited over 11,000 pregnant people from across Canada and are now following-up with them and their children.
