Coping strategies in pregnant women with high risk pregnancies during COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE To evaluate coping behavior and style in a cohort of pregnant women with high-risk pregnancy admitted for inpatient antenatal monitoring. METHODS This was an observational, prospective, cohort study of pregnant women with high-risk pregnancy admitted for inpatient antenatal monitoring in a single center in Italy. High risk pregnancies included diabetes, preeclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis, severe intrauterine growth restriction, and hyperemesis gravidarum. Women were asked to fill the Italian version of the Coping Orientation to the Problems Experienced (COPE-NVI). The questionnaire included five different dimensions: (1) Social support;(2) Avoidance strategies;(3) Positive attitude;(4) Problem solving;(5) Turning to religion. We planned to evaluate COPE-NVI score according to the different maternal or fetal complication. RESULTS 100 women, admitted for antenatal inpatient monitoring, met the inclusion criteria, agreed to participate in the study and filled out the questionnaire. 37 were admitted for preeclampsia, 15 for diabetes, 5 for intrahepatic cholestasis, 14 for hyperemesis gravidarum, while 29 had severe intrauterine growth restriction requiring monitoring. The mean COPE-NVI score for social support was 31.5 ±8.6, for avoidance strategies was 25.1±6.7, for positive attitude was 31.7 ±7.3, for problem solving was 30.5±7.5, and for turning to religion was 24.9 ±5.3. No statistically significant differences were found the COPE-NVI score within the different maternal or fetal complications, rather than for turning for religion, where the score was higher for women with preeclampsia and lower for women with intrahepatic cholestasis (p=.01). CONCLUSIONS Women with high risk pregnancies admitted for antenatal inpatient monitoring have a high score at coping strategies.