Conclusions/limitations
Because each of the 10 studies examined extremely different outcomes, researchers were unable to compile data from all studies to draw a conclusion.
6. Salari N, Hosseinian-Far A, Jalali R, et al. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Global Health. 2020;16(1):57.
Salari et al10 examined the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Study design
- Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 observational studies examining the prevalence of anxiety and stress in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The STROBE checklist was used to assess the quality of studies.
- Only studies judged as medium to high quality were included in the analysis.
Outcomes
- The prevalence of stress was 29.6% (5 studies, sample size 9,074 individuals).
- The prevalence of anxiety was 31.9% (17 studies, sample size 63,439 individuals).
- The prevalence of depression was 33.7% (14 studies, sample size of 44,531 individuals).
- A sub-analysis of rates by continent revealed that Asia had highest prevalence of anxiety and depression (32.9% and 35.3%, respectively). Europe had the highest rates of stress (31.9%).
Conclusions/limitations
There is an increased prevalence of anxiety, stress, and depression in the general population amid the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the included studies compared rates to before the pandemic. Most studies used online surveys, which increased the chance of sample bias. Most studies originated from China and Iran, which had the highest rates of infection when this review was conducted.
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