The contribution of self-compassion and social support to women’s mental health during pregnancy: A comparison between international and national crisis periods.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the contribution of self-compassion and perceived social support from family, partner, and friends, along with pregnancy-related variables, and concerns about the fetus and childbirth, to pregnant women’s mental health, comparing two different crises. Method: A sample of 220 women was recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic, and another sample of 224 women was recruited during the Israel–Hamas war. Participants were enrolled through a convenience sample and completed a set of self-report questionnaires. Results: Women’s mental health, self-compassion, and perceived support from family and partner were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the war. Furthermore, women’s mental health had positive and significant associations with self-compassion and perceived social support from all sources. Moreover, the association between self-compassion and mental health was moderated by the event. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the pregnancy period should be examined under various unique stressful events to better understand the appropriate coping resources that can ameliorate women’s stress due to a major stressful event alongside the challenges inherent in pregnancy itself. They also suggest that self-compassion is a context-dependent variable and more dynamic than previously understood. This study highlights the difference in the mental health of pregnant women during different crisis circumstances and the importance of pregnant women’s resources of self-compassion and social support to their mental health during such different crises. It shows that pregnant women’s support both from external sources, such as their family and partner, and internally, that is, self-compassion, are perceived differently during different events and indicates that it may be necessary for clinicians to put more emphasis on women’s compassion capability as a preventative resource protecting against potential adverse pregnancy outcomes.