Southampton Women's Survey COVID-19 Study
Condition: Mental Health Wellness 1
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges with implications for wellbeing and
      mental health. The Southampton Women's Survey provides the opportunity to understand
      influences on these important outcomes amongst women and their offspring in the context of an
      established longitudinal cohort study.
    

Detailed description: 
      Between 1998 and 2002 the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS) team interviewed 12,583
      Southampton women aged 20 to 34 years. The baseline survey collected data on women's diets,
      lifestyles, body and blood measures, reproductive health, education, mental health and social
      circumstances. Of these participants, 3,158 women subsequently became pregnant within the
      study period and delivered a liveborn singleton infant. The survey has followed up the
      offspring and mothers with home visits at six months, one, two and three years. A sample of
      over 1,000 offspring was seen at 4 years of age, more than 2,000 offspring were seen at ages
      6-7 years, and more than 1,000 at 8-9 years. Follow-up of offspring aged 11-13 years is being
      completed and at 17-19 years is being piloted.

      The women are currently aged 37 to 57 years and the offspring are currently aged 12 to 21
      years.

      The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges across the population. The effects
      include those of the threat of the virus itself as well as the impact of the
      government-imposed lockdown on health and wellbeing. Research in many contexts will allow
      greater understanding of the repercussions of this unprecedented event. The Southampton
      Women's Survey provides an opportunity to understand the effects of the lockdown on a
      well-characterised cohort of women and their adolescent/young adult offspring. The
      longitudinal data available in the cohort will provide a unique opportunity to understand how
      circumstances earlier in life (including pre-pregnancy) influence people's health and
      wellbeing during the pandemic.

      Objectives:

        1. To collect individual level data relating to health and wellbeing during the COVID-19
           pandemic amongst SWS women and their offspring.

        2. To assess whether lockdown-specific pressures such as working from home, home schooling
           and lack of social contact are associated with health and wellbeing during the pandemic.

        3. To use longitudinal data to understand how health and lifestyle in earlier life
           (including pre-pregnancy) are associated with health and wellbeing during the pandemic.
    

Intervention name(s): Experience of pandemic
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Experience of the pandemic will be studied through online questionnaire responses
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Between 1998 and 2002 the Southampton Women's Survey team interviewed 12,583 Southampton
        women aged 20 to 34 years. Of these participants, 3,158 women subsequently became pregnant
        within the study period and delivered a liveborn singleton infant.