Quality of Life, Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, and Sexual Function in Mothers of Neonates with Congenital Syphilis in the Northeast Brazil

Background: Congenital syphilis is an important public health problem in low- and middle- income countries. Poor neonatal health outcomes associated with disease may lead to high levels of maternal psychological distress and feelings of helplessness. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life, anxiety levels, depressive symptoms, and sexual function in mothers of neonates with congenital syphilis in the Northeast Brazil. Methods: This longitudinal study compared patient-centered outcomes between mothers of neonates with congenital syphilis and mothers of healthy neonates during the first three months of postpartum period. The study was conducted in Sergipe state, Northeast Brazil, a poor region of the country with one of the highest rates of congenital syphilis (14·1 cases per 1,000 live births). Quality of life, depressive symptoms, anxiety levels, and sexual function were evaluated by using the World Health Organization Quality of Live - shortened version (WHOQoL-BREF) instrument, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Female Sexual Function Index, respectively. Findings: Sixty-eight women were included in each group. During the in-hospital stay, mothers of neonates with congenital syphilis had lower scores for overall quality of life (p <0·0001; effect size -0·563) and higher levels of state anxiety (p <0·0001; effect size 0·337) and depressive symptoms (p <0·0001; effect size 0·556) than mother of healthy neonates. Three months after childbirth, we found persistent depressive symptoms (p = 0·021; effect size 0·216) and low overall sexual function (p = 0·041; effect size -0·201) among mothers of neonates with congenital syphilis compared to the control group. Interpretation: Mothers of neonates with congenital syphilis present poorer quality of life, mental health, and sexual function compared to mothers of healthy neonates. Funding: Brazilian Federal Agency for Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). Declaration of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of ethics. Ethical Approval:This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Sergipe (protocol number 78636017.5.0000.5546). Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants.