Perinatal mental health and Covid-19-related distress: the role of personality traits

Perinatal mental health is a topic of growing interest, that could affect mothers in a period of high vulnerability, and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is an important factor to consider in this field. The aim of our study is to study the correlations between five dimensions of personality and subjective Covid-19-related distress in a sample of women in the perinatal period. Methods. The study included 114 Italian women in the perinatal period. Subjects were asked to complete the Big Five Inventory (BIG-5) and a version of the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) anchored to Covid-19-related distress. Results. When the BIG-5 personality traits and several confounding variables were included in a regression model with IES-R total score as criterion, neuroticism subscale of BIG-5 inventory was the only variable independently associated with higher IES-R total score (p<0.001). Conclusion. Our study highlights the importance of considering the personality vulnerability factors that can worsen psychopathological symptoms of women in the perinatal period, especially in periods of high psychological stress.