Cited by 3,617COVID-19 and Mental HealthHealthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 48 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 15 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Open access

Abstract

Background COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to significantly affect the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), who stand in the frontline of this crisis. It is, therefore, an immediate priority to monitor rates of mood, sleep and other mental health issues in order to understand mediating factors and inform tailored interventions. The aim of this review is to synthesize and analyze existing evidence on the prevalence of depression, anxiety and insomnia among HCWs during the Covid-19 outbreak.Methods A systematic search of literature databases was conducted up to April 17th, 2020. Two reviewers independently assessed full-text articles according to predefined criteria. Risk of bias for each individual study was assessed and data pooled using random-effects meta-analyses to estimate the prevalence of specific mental health problems. The review protocol is registered in PROSPERO and is available online.Findings Thirteen studies were included in the analysis with a combined total of 33,062 participants. Anxiety was assessed in 12 studies, with a pooled prevalence of 23·2% and depression in 10 studies, with a prevalence rate of 22·8%. A subgroup analysis revealed gender and occupational differences with female HCPs and nurses exhibiting higher rates of affective symptoms compared to male and medical staff respectively. Finally, insomnia prevalence was estimated at 38·9% across 5 studies.Interpretation Early evidence suggests that a considerable proportion of HCWs experience mood and sleep disturbances during this outbreak, stressing the need to establish ways to mitigate mental health risks and adjust interventions under pandemic conditions.

Overview

AI snapshot

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TL;DR

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 13 cross-sectional studies of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and found substantial pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. It reports roughly one in four workers with anxiety or depression and about one in three with insomnia, with higher estimates among women and nursing staff.

Key findings

  • Pooled prevalence was 23.21% for anxiety (95% CI 17.77–29.13, I² = 99%; 12 studies), 22.8% for depression (95% CI 15.1–31.51, I² = 99.62%; 10 studies), and 34.32% for insomnia (95% CI 27.45–41.54, I² = 98%; 5 studies).
  • Subgroup estimates were higher for women than men for anxiety (29.06% vs 20.92%) and depression (26.87% vs 20.34%), and higher for nurses than doctors for anxiety (25.80% vs 21.73%) and depression (30.30% vs 25.37%).
  • Mild symptoms were more common than moderate/severe symptoms: anxiety 17.93% vs 6.88%; depression 24.60% vs 16.18%. Scale-specific pooled estimates varied, e.g., GAD-7 anxiety 36.92% vs SAS anxiety 16.47%, and PHQ-9 depression 36.72 vs SDS depression 32.81.

Methods

  • The review followed PRISMA and MOOSE guidance and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020180313). Searches covered MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, MedRxiv, and SSRN through April 17, 2020, with no language restrictions, and included cross-sectional studies of healthcare workers in COVID-19-affected areas that used validated measures for depression, anxiety, or insomnia.
  • The meta-analysis included 13 cross-sectional studies with 33,062 participants; 12 were conducted in China (2 in Wuhan) and 1 in Singapore. Median study size was 1,563 (range 134–11,118), median male representation was 18%, and median questionnaire participation was 85.3%.
  • Pooled prevalence was estimated with a random-effects model in MetaXL using double arcsine transformation. Subgroup analyses examined gender, rating scales, symptom severity, and professional group; sensitivity analyses excluded each study in turn. Study quality was assessed with a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale.

Limitations

  • Stated in the paper: heterogeneity was high across studies because of different assessment scales and cut-offs; some studies may have sampled overlapping populations from the same region or country; most studies were from China, limiting generalizability; all included studies were cross-sectional, so long-term mental health effects remain unknown; and the number of available studies was relatively small early in the pandemic.
  • Evident from the text: the very high I² values (often near 99%) indicate substantial unexplained between-study variability, and the inclusion of preprints means some data may not have been peer-reviewed.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.026

Cites

48 of 48 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 15 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 24 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 17
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 16
27 of 27
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the psychological well-being of medical and nursing staff had not yet been established at the time of the review.

    “However, to date, the impact of the current unprecedented crisis on the psychological well-being of medical and nursing staff is yet to be established.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the pooled prevalence of depression, anxiety and insomnia in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

    “To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the pooled prevalence of depression, anxiety and insomnia on HCW during the COVID-19 outbreak.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    One true effect size cannot be assumed across studies due to different patient populations, regions, and assessment methods.

    “Due to the different patient populations, regions, and assessment methods across studies, one true effect size cannot be assumed; therefore, a random effects model (DerSimonian & Laird) was used to extract the pooled prevalence.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    China was severely affected by COVID-19.

    “considering the fact that China was severely affected, they provide a reliable indication of the potential of COVID-19 pandemic to affect the mental health of HCWs.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Healthcare systems vary greatly between countries.

    “generalizing this type of results could pose severe flaws as healthcare systems vary greatly between countries.”
5 of 5

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Citations

Cites

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14 of the 62 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Bohlken, 2020, COVID-19 pandemic: stress experience of healthcare workers – a short current review, Psychiatr. Prax, 47, 190

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Metadata

Authors
Pappa, S., Ntella, V., Giannakas, T., Giannakoulis, V. G., Papoutsi, E., & Katsaounou, P.
Affiliations
  • West London Mental Health NHS Trust (GB)
  • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)
Corresponding author
Pappa, Sofia
Venue
Brain Behavior and Immunity
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-08
Volume
88
Pages
901-907
ISSN
0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3021065879
Cited by
3,617
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 161 · 2025: 231 · 2024: 357 · 2023: 568 · 2022: 885 · 2021: 1070 · 2020: 342
FWCI
56.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2021-02-01)
Open access
Locations
  • Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers, depression, anxiety, insomnia, mental health, prevalence, nurses, gender differences, occupational differences, mood disorders, sleep disorders
MeSH terms
Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Anxiety, Depression, Health Personnel, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Nurses, Physicians, Pneumonia, Viral, Prevalence, Sex Distribution, Coronavirus Infections, Pandemics

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