Anxiety and depression of general population in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of cross-sectional studies

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has a nature of high transmissibility and mortality 1,2 . The rapid outbreak promptly changed people's daily lives, with disruptions of the social connection and economic activities 3 . Enforcement of social distancing in many countries reduced the disease transmission but may exaggerate the disturbance of lives 4 . These influences on daily activities, human interactions and economic impacts, combined with the fears of being infected with COVID-19 and poor clinical outcomes are possible stressors of mental reactions 5 . In addition, excessively delivering the above information and misinformation via news media may create more emotional impacts 6,7 . An article reviewing the psychological responses of SARS, Ebola and H1N1 found the common presence of anxiety and depression during disease outbreaks 8 . The aim of this study was to review the anxiety and depression status of general population in the early phase of COVID-19 and their correlation with demographic factors, social media exposure and psychological stressors. Methods Data sources and search strategyA systematically electronic search of PUBMED/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane was undertaken in May 2020. All studies published before May15, 2020 were included. The search strategy used the following descriptors and combinations: "novel coronavirus", "COVID", "anxiety", "depression", "mental health" and "psychiatry". Citation searching of the reference lists was also performed. The search was conducted by two reviewers (Lin, C. Y. and Lin, Y.L.). Inclusion and exclusion criteriaStudies (1) recruiting general population; (2) with valid measuring instruments to evaluate anxiety or depressive symptoms; (3) available in English or Chinese were included. There was no restriction on age and publication area. Studies were excluded if (1) they were abstracts, opinion-based publications, intervention studies or case-report; (2) targeting only on health care worker; (3) focusing on previous epidemic.

Can living with COVID-19 patients in a hospital increase anxiety levels? A survey-based single-center study in Peru

“…These high levels of anxiety in these professionals may be due to contact with COVID-19 patients. For that reason, anxiety increases significantly [14,16], although the study [29] has shown that the 27.7% anxiety reported in HCWs was not remarkably higher than in the general population. It is appropriate to investigate further the causes of high anxiety levels in these professions.…”

COVID-19 and Latinx alcohol use: The role of health insurance.

“…With the urgency of COVID-19, the present study examines a moderated mediational model in a correlational, cross-sectional design. Systematic reviews of mental health outcomes related to COVID-19 have highlighted the importance and utility of cross-sectional samples to understand the acute and immediate impact of the pandemic so as to lay the groundwork for future research (Lin & Lin, 2021; Sheraton et al, 2020). Given the recent work reporting changes in psychological and physical well-being in response to COVID-19-related stressors (Mayorga et al, 2022; McGinty et al, 2020; Ryerson, 2022), the present study examines a moderated mediational model such that the ability of COVID-19-related emotional distress and physical health concerns mediates the relationship between COVID-19 infection history and alcohol use.…”