OBJECTIVES Maternity harassment, known in English as pregnancy discrimination, remains prevalent in developed countries. However, research examining the mental health effects of maternity harassment is lacking. We aimed to examine the association between maternity harassment and depression during pregnancy in Japan. METHODS A cross-sectional Internet survey was conducted on 359 pregnant employees (including women who were working at the time their pregnancy was confirmed) from May 22 to May 31, 2020, during which time a COVID-19 state of emergency was declared. Maternity harassment was defined as being subjected to any of the 16 adverse treatments prohibited by national guidelines. Depression was defined as a score of ≥9 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (Japanese version). Logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS Overall, 24.8% of the pregnant employees had experienced maternity harassment by supervisors and/or colleagues. After adjusting for demographics, pregnancy status, work status, and fear of COVID-19, pregnant employees who experienced maternity harassment were more likely to have depression than those who did not (odds ratio 2.48, 95% confidential interval 1.34-4.60). This association was not influenced by whether they were teleworking or not as a COVID-19 measure. CONCLUSIONS One quarter of pregnant employees experienced maternity harassment and had a higher prevalence of depression than those who did not. Being physically away from the office through teleworking may not reduce the effect of maternal harassment on depression. To protect the mental health and employment of pregnant women, employers should comply with the laws and take measures to prevent maternity harassment.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 紧急状态下孕期骚扰与孕期抑郁之间的关联


目标 产妇骚扰（英文称为怀孕歧视）在发达国家仍然普遍存在。然而，缺乏对产妇骚扰对心理健康影响的研究。我们的目的是研究日本产妇骚扰与怀孕期间抑郁之间的关联。方法 对 2020 年 5 月 22 日至 5 月 31 日期间宣布 COVID-19 紧急状态的 359 名怀孕员工（包括确认怀孕时正在工作的女性）进行了横断面互联网调查。产妇骚扰被定义为遭受国家指南禁止的 16 种不良待遇中的任何一种。抑郁症定义为爱丁堡产后抑郁量表（日文版）得分≥9分。进行逻辑回归分析。结果 总体而言，24.8% 的怀孕员工曾遭受过主管和/或同事的产期骚扰。在调整人口统计数据、怀孕状况、工作状况和对 COVID-19 的恐惧后，经历过产妇骚扰的怀孕员工比没有经历过的员工更有可能患抑郁症（比值比 2.48，95% 置信区间 1.34-4.60）。这种关联不受他们是否作为 COVID-19 措施进行远程办公的影响。结论 四分之一的怀孕员工经历过产期骚扰，并且比没有经历过的员工抑郁症患病率更高。通过远程办公远离办公室可能不会减少母亲骚扰对抑郁症的影响。为保护孕妇心理健康和就业，用人单位应遵守法律规定，采取措施防止孕期骚扰。