Psychiatric symptoms and couple satisfaction in parents of newborns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic-A comparison of two prospective studies.

Aims: To assess anxiety, depression, perceived stress, couple satisfaction and life satisfaction of parents of healthy newborns in two cohorts in 2015 and in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: A prospective follow-up study.

Methods: We enrolled 60 parents of healthy newborns (n = 30 dyads) in 2015 and 60 parents (n = 30 dyads) in 2020. Both parents completed six valid and reliable questionnaires independently 1-2 days and 12 months after delivery: Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Couple Satisfaction Index and Life Satisfaction Scale-4.

Results: Anxiety was more common but couple satisfaction better in both parents during the COVID-19 pandemic than in 2015. Depressive symptoms and perceived stress were similarly low, and life satisfaction was similarly high in both cohorts, indicating ample parental resilience. There was a moderate positive association between previous mental health disorders and parental anxiety after delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.