Summary: | Pregnancy can be a vulnerable time for an increased likelihood of common mental health problems. Previous studies indicate that social support is an important factor for prenatal mental health. The aim of this study was twofold; firstly, to examine the prevalence of prenatal anxiety and depression in Icelandic women during Covid-19, and secondly to examine the association between symptoms of prenatal anxiety and depression and demographic variables on the one hand and different types of social support on the other hand. Pregnant women (N = 618) completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) while attending prenatal care in Iceland in the spring of 2021. They also answered questions about demographic variables such as education, employment, relationship status, number of children and questions about social support online. The results indicated that Covid-19 did not affect the prevalence of prenatal anxiety and depression. Decreased social support and low education were associated with a higher score on both EPDS and GAD-7. Unemployment was associated with a higher score on EPDS. Relationship status, number of children, and online social support did not have a relationship with prenatal depression or anxiety symptoms. These findings underline the importance of good social support for pregnant women, as it has a clear association with lower depression and anxiety symptoms. Keywords: pregnancy, prenatal depression, prenatal anxiety, social support, covid19 Meðganga getur verið viðkvæmur tími fyrir auknar líkur á algengum geðrænum vandamálum. Fyrri rannsóknir hafa sýnt fram á að félagslegur stuðningur á meðgöngu er mikilvægur þáttur varðandi geðheilsu barnshafandi kvenna. Markmið þessarar rannsóknarinnar var tvíþætt; í fyrsta lagi að skoða tíðni kvíða og þunglyndis barnshafandi kvenna á tímum Covid-19, og í öðru lagi að skoða tengslin á milli kvíða og þunglyndiseinkenna á meðgöngu við ...
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