Mental Health During the Covid-19 Outbreak in China: a Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Covid-19 has started to spread within China since the end of December 2019. Despite government's immediate actions and strict control, more and more people were infected every day. As such a contagious virus can spread easily and rapidly between people, the whole country was put into lockdown and people were forced into isolation. In order to understand the impact of Covid-19 on mental health well-being, Chinese researchers have conducted several studies. However, no consistent results were obtained. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted. Methods: We searched Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases to find literature from December 2019 to April 2020 related to Covid-19 and mental health, among which results such as comments, letters, reviews and case reports were excluded. The incidence of anxiety and depression in the population was synthesized and discussed. Results: A total of 27,475 subjects were included in 12 studies. Random effect model is used to account for the data. The results showed that the incidence of anxiety was 25% (95% CI: 0.19-0.32), and the incidence of depression was 28% (95% CI: 0.17-0.38). Significant heterogeneity was detected across studies regarding these incidence estimates. Subgroup analysis included the study population and assessment tools, and sensitivity analysis was done to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Conclusions: Owing to the significant heterogeneity detected in studies regarding this pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression, we must interpret the results with caution. As the epidemic is ongoing, it is vital to set up a comprehensive crisis prevention system, which integrating epidemiological monitoring, screening and psychological crisis prevention and interventions.

Self-reported changes in anxiety, depression and suicidality during the COVID-19 lockdown in Greece

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Psychological Impact of Corona Lockdown in Germany: Changes in Need Satisfaction, Well-Being, Anxiety, and Depression

“…Although these lockdowns vary in the number and types of measures taken, they usually include certain types of contact restriction as well as the closure of many public meeting places, such as schools, public authorities, and shopping centers. Psychologists, doctors, and other health experts pointed out at an early stage that such interventions in individual lifestyles are likely to be accompanied by psychological consequences, such as increased anxiety or diminished well-being [2,3].…”

Prevalence of depression during the SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 pandemics

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