Psychiatrists from NYU Langone Health recently launched a ground-breaking effort to measure the impact COVID-19 pandemic has on new mothers and their offspring. This research is of particular importance as the growing body of evidence shows that maternal stress during pregnancy and the perinatal period can have lasting effects on child’s neurobehavioral development and health.
The COPE Study
Led by Dr. Moriah E. Thomason, the Coronavirus-19 and Perinatal Experience (COPE) Study’s mission is to assess the experiences and feelings of pregnant and new mothers during the pandemic and to trace the effects of maternal stressors on children’s neural circuitry, cognition, behaviours, and emotional wellbeing.
The study is looking at four main parameters:
- Quantifying the economic, social, and medical impacts these women are experiencing
- Understanding the effect of those experiences on the mothers’ mental health
- Understanding how the mothers’ experiences and responses shape the development of their kids
- Understanding how the health disparities in the society (particularly in low-resource communities of colour) affect all of these outcomes
The study included more than 800 expecting or new mothers of varying racial backgrounds living in the New York City area.
Early Data on Stress and Coping
Initial data showed that the crisis had a significant effect on women’s lives. The large majority of women reported changes to pre/postnatal care, increase in stress and missing in-person contact. Some positive changes included better appreciation of life and self-care, which many women found helpful when coping with the pandemic-related stress.
Future Directions for Research
Dr. Thomason and her team will continue to follow the original cohort in the coming months and years. Additionally, COVGEN Research Alliance (launched by Dr. Thomason and her team) aims to support research on the ‘COVID generation’ around the world. The team is sharing survey tools (translated into multiple languages) through the alliance’s website in order to reach, not only healthcare providers and policymakers, but also the communities being studied.
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