The COVID-19 pandemic and maternal mental health in a fragile and conflict-affected setting in Tumaco, Colombia: a cohort study
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting public health measures implemented worldwide have had profound impacts on people’s health, livelihoods, and daily life. Understanding the effects of the pandemic on mental health is important to guide policies to prevent further adverse effects, especially among vulnerable and underserved populations.Emerging research has analysed the relationship between the pandemic and mental health in the general population. There is increasing evidence of negative early impacts. With longitudinal data from a representative sample in the UK, one study found that mental distress increased from 19% in 2018–19 to 27% 1 month into the lockdown, which began on March 25, 2020.1 Similar shifts have been observed in other studies in high-income countries and across high-income and middle-income countries. Studies suggest that the psychosocial burden of the pandemic differs across populations. Socioeconomically vulnerable families, women with young children, and individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions are at a higher risk. The pandemic might thus exacerbate inequalities related to socioeconomic and mental health vulnerabilities. However, research in low-income and middle income countries, and particularly within marginalised populations, remains scant. The effects of the pandemic in fragile and conflict-affected settings, and on internally displaced persons (IDP; as defined by the International Organization for Migration), have been largely unexplored.
