Birthing parenthood and world crises: worry about the future and the role of environmental factors in women in the perinatal period.

Introduction: In recent years, the perception of an uncertain future for the planet and humans led by the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as, the worries about climate change and wars emerged as possible “collective risks” which increased worries during the perinatal period, impacting maternal well-being. As a part of wider research on the psychological health of perinatal women during “collective crises”, the current study aims to explore the predictors of the worry about the future in women in the perinatal period at a specific moment, hence, at the end of the pandemic health emergency, and after the onset of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Methods: A total of 200 women, of which 125 pregnant women and 75 women during postpartum, participated in the cross-sectional study. The association between the worry about the future, psychological response to collective crises such as COVID-19, and the Russian-Ukrainian war, along with relational aspects such as attachment to the partner, loneliness, and closeness to significant others were tested. The online survey comprised: the Impact for Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) adapted for COVID-19 and war, the Experience in Close Relationship Scale - Short Form (ECR-S), the UCLA-Loneliness 3 Scale, and the Inclusion of the Others in Self (IOS) scale adapted for people and events. Bivariate correlations and linear regression analyses were used to explore the association between the worry about the future and its predictors in perinatal women. Results: Significant associations between worry about the future, closeness to collective events, loneliness, and variables related to the relationship with the partner emerged. In particular, regression analyses showed that higher levels of COVID-19-related post-traumatic impact, higher perception of closeness to the war, and anxious attachment to the partner were associated with higher worry about the future in pregnant and postpartum women. Discussion: The results suggest that the psychological response to “collective crises” played an important role in predicting the worry about the future in pregnant and postpartum women. These findings shed light on the necessity to deepen the interrelations between collective, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors that influence worries during perinatal experience and their implications for perinatal anxiety.