Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among survivors of severe COVID-19 infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a person has experienced a traumatic event which can be highly accounted for amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of PTSD among the severe cases of COVID-19. Methods We included the observational studies done to estimate the burden of PTSD among severe COVID-19 patients. Data was extracted manually using structured data extraction form and analyzed in STATA version 14.2. A random-effects model was applied, and the final pooled data was reported as proportion with a 95% confidence interval. Multivariable meta-regression analysis was carried out, and a forest plot was utilized to represent the study-specific and pooled estimates for overall and subgroup analysis. Results We included 13 articles with 1,093 participants in our analysis. The pooled prevalence was estimated to be 16% (95%CI: 9% to 23%). We found a substantial heterogeneity between the studies that reported the outcome (I2=87.9%, p