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Investigating the effect of national government physical distancing measures on depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic through meta-analysis and meta-regression.
- Source :
-
Psychological Medicine . Apr2021, Vol. 51 Issue 6, p881-893. 13p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Background: COVID-19 physical distancing measures can potentially increase the likelihood of mental disorders. It is unknown whether these measures are associated with depression and anxiety. Objectives: To investigate meta-analytic global levels of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the implementation of mitigation strategies (i.e. public transportation closures, stay-at-home orders, etc.) impacted such disorders. Data sources: PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, BIOSIS Citation Index, Current Content Connect, PsycINFO, CINAHL, medRxiv, and PsyArXiv databases for depression and anxiety prevalences; Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker for the containment and closure policies indexes; Global Burden of Disease Study for previous levels of depression and anxiety. Study eligibility criteria: Original studies conducted during COVID-19 pandemic, which assessed categorical depression and anxiety, using PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales (cutoff ⩾10). Participants and interventions: General population, healthcare providers, students, and patients. National physical distancing measures. Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Meta-analysis and meta-regression. Results: In total, 226 638 individuals were assessed within the 60 included studies. Global prevalence of both depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic was 24.0% and 21.3%, respectively. There were differences in the prevalence of both anxiety and depression reported across regions and countries. Asia (17.6% and 17.9%), and China (16.2% and 15.5%) especially, had the lowest prevalence of both disorders. Regarding the impact of mitigation strategies on mental health, only public transportation closures increased the prevalence of anxiety, especially in Europe. Limitations: Country-level data on physical distancing measures and previous anxiety/depression may not necessarily reflect local (i.e. city-specific) contexts. Conclusions and implications of key findings: Mental health concerns should not be viewed only as a delayed consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as a concurrent epidemic. Our data provide support for policy-makers to consider real-time enhanced mental health services, and increase initiatives to foster positive mental health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *MENTAL depression risk factors
*ONLINE information services
*PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems
*CINAHL database
*META-analysis
*CONFIDENCE intervals
*SYSTEMATIC reviews
*GLOBAL burden of disease
*POPULATION geography
*RISK assessment
*MENTAL depression
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
*SOCIAL distancing
*STAY-at-home orders
*ANXIETY
*MEDLINE
*COVID-19 pandemic
*TRANSPORTATION
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00332917
- Volume :
- 51
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Psychological Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 153538021
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721000933