Evaluating the Association between Covid-19 Related Maternal Peripartum Care Interruptions and Infant Temperament

Early data suggest substantial interruptions in prenatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential effects of COVID-related interruptions in maternal care on children born during the pandemic are unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether interruptions in birth experiences of mothers during the pandemic are associated with infant temperament outcomes. Study data were drawn from the COVID-19 and Perinatal Experiences (COPE) Study that addressed perinatal care disruptions during the height of the pandemic in New York City. We identified a ‘negative birth experience’ as limited support people permitted at delivery, neonate separation, changes in mode of delivery, and/or availability of preferred labor and delivery providers. Mothers rated their infants’ temperament using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Very Short Form (IBQ–VSF) at 6 months of age. We used three broad components of the IBQ-VSF: Negative Emotionality, Positive Affectivity, and Orienting and Regulatory Capacity. We examined the associations between negative birth experiences and infant temperament of 83 mother-infant pairs with available perinatal care and infant temperament data. Participants with and without birth experience interruptions had similar demographics. Infants’ scores on Orienting and Regulatory Capacity were higher in infants of mothers with perinatal care interruptions related to COVID-19. There were no differences between the offspring of those mothers with and without interruptions of perinatal care in other domains of infant temperament. These data suggest limited short-term influences of COVID-related interruptions in maternal perinatal care on infant temperament. Long-term follow-up is needed to evaluate more distal influences of perinatal care interruptions on children born during the pandemic.