The effect of COVID-19 isolation measures on the cognition and mental health of people living with dementia: a rapid systematic review of one year of quantitative evidence
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Background COVID-19 prevention and control policies have entailed lockdowns and confinement. This study aimed to summarize the global research evidence describing the effect of COVID-19 isolation measures on the health of people living with dementia. Methods We searched Pubmed, PsycINFO and CINAHL up to 27th of February 2021 for peer-reviewed quantitative studies about the effects of isolation during COVID-19 on the cognitive, psychological and functional symptoms of people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool was used to conduct the quality assessment. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021229259. Findings 15 eligible papers were identified, examining a total of 6442 people with dementia. 13/15 studies investigated people living in the community and 2 in care homes. Out of 15 studies, 9 (60%) reported changes in cognition and 14 (93%) worsening or new onset of behavioral and psychological symptoms. Six studies (46%) reported a functional decline in daily activities in a variable proportion of the population analyzed. Interpretation COVID-19 isolation measures have damaged the cognitive and mental health of people with dementia across the world. It is urgent to issue guidance that balances infection control measures against the principles of non-maleficence to guarantee fair and appropriate care during pandemic times for this population. Funding ASG receives funding from a grant jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and the National Institute for Health Research (UK) (ES/S010467/1). GL is supported by UCLH National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre, and by NIHR North Thames ARC as a NIHR senior investigator. JR is supported by a UK Research and Innovation's Global Challenges Research Fund (UKRI GCRF) (ES/P0109381).
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
A systematic review of social isolation in COVID-19 found 9/15 (60%) studies with 6,442 participants reported worse than expected deterioration in cognition and 14/15 (93%) worsening or new onset of non-cognitive symptoms.
“A systematic review of the effects of social isolation in COVID-19 found 9/15 (60%) studies with 6,442 participants reported worse than expected deterioration in cognition and 14/15 (93%) worsening or new onset of non-cognitive symptoms. (555)”
From Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission (2024) · cites this paper as [555]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
1 retracted
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., Brayne, C., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J., Cooper, C., et al. (2020) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30367-6 · Cited by 10,430 · cited 1× · see citing works
“These are all essential services to help people with dementia maintain their health, well-being and quality of life [4,5].”
Self-citationRetractedThe PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., et al. (2021) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.n71 · Cited by 108,283 · see citing works
Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group offers evidence-informed guidance to conduct rapid reviews
Garritty, C., Gartlehner, G., Nussbaumer-Streit, B., King, V. J., Hamel, C., Kamel, C., Affengruber, L., & Stevens, A. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.10.007 · Cited by 1,141 · see citing works
Kales, H. C., Gitlin, L. N., Lyketsos, C. G., & Dementia, T. D. E. P. O. T. A. A. M. O. T. N. S. O. (2014) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/jgs.12730 · Cited by 575 · see citing works
Dementia: assessment, management and support for people living with dementia and their carers
Duff, C. (2018) · Lincoln Repository (University of Lincoln) · Cited by 561 · see citing works
Peters, M. E., Schwartz, S., Han, D., Rabins, P. V., Steinberg, M., Tschanz, J. T., & Lyketsos, C. G. (2015) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14040480 · Cited by 400 · see citing works
Behavioral and Psychological Effects of Coronavirus Disease-19 Quarantine in Patients With Dementia
Cagnin, A., Lorenzo, R. D., Marra, C., Bonanni, L., Cupidi, C., Laganà, V., Rubino, E., Vacca, A., Provero, P., Isella, V., et al. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.578015 · Cited by 370 · see citing works
Anxiety in dementia: A critical review
Seignourel, P. J., Kunik, M. E., Snow, L., WILSON, N. L., & Stanley, M. A. (2008) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2008.02.008 · Cited by 316 · see citing works
Quality of life of people with dementia in residential care homes
Hoe, J., Hancock, G. A., Livingston, G., & Orrell, M. W. (2006) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.104.007658 · Cited by 282 · see citing works
Self-citationGiebel, C. M., Cannon, J., Hanna, K. L., Butchard, S., Eley, R., Gaughan, A., Komuravelli, A., Shenton, J., Callaghan, S., Tetlow, H., et al. (2020) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2020.1822292 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Titles versus titles and abstracts for initial screening of articles for systematic reviews
Mateen, F., Oh, Tergas, Bhayani, & Kamdar (2013) · Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.2147/clep.s43118 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Lara, B., Carnes, A., Dakterzada, F., Benitez, I., & Piñol‐Ripoll, G. (2020) · European Journal of Neurology · doi:10.1111/ene.14339 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Facing Dementia During the <scp>COVID</scp> ‐19 Outbreak
Canevelli, M., Valletta, M., Toccaceli Blasi, M., Remoli, G., Sarti, G., Nuti, F., Sciancalepore, F., Ruberti, E., Cesari, M., & Bruno, G. (2020) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/jgs.16644 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Springate, B. A., & Tremont, G. N. (2013) · American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2012.09.006 · Cited by 176 · see citing works
Boutoleau-Bretonnière, C., Pouclet-Courtemanche, H., Gillet, A., Bernard, A., Deruet, A. L., Gouraud, I., Mazoue, A., Lamy, E., Rocher, L., Kapogiannis, D., et al. (2020) · Journal of Alzheimer's Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-200604 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Tsapanou, A., Papatriantafyllou, J. D., Yiannopoulou, K. G., Sali, D., Kalligerou, F., Ntanasi, E., Zoi, P., Margioti, E. S., Kamtsadeli, V., Hatzopoulou, M., et al. (2020) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5457 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Haj, M. E., Altıntaş, E., Chapelet, G., Kapogiannis, D., & Gallouj, K. (2020) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113294 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Ó’Caoimh, R., O’Donovan, M. R., Monahan, M. P., Dalton, C., Buckley, C., Kilty, C., Fitzgerald, S. M., Hartigan, I., & Cornally, N. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.585373 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Borges-Machado, F., Barros, D., Ribeiro, Ó., & Carvalho, J. (2020) · American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias® · doi:10.1177/1533317520976720 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
A comprehensive approach to reablement in dementia
Poulos, C. J., Bayer, A. J., Beaupré, L. A., Clare, L., Poulos, R. G., Wang, R. H., Zuidema, S. U., & McGilton, K. S. (2017) · Alzheimer s & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.trci.2017.06.005 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Confinement in Patients With Cognitive Impairment
Barguilla, A., Fernández‐Lebrero, A., Estragués-Gázquez, I., García‐Escobar, G., Navalpotro‐Gómez, I., Manero, R. M., Puente, V., Roquer, J., & Puig‐Pijoan, A. (2020) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2020.589901 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Hanna, K. L., Giebel, C. M., Tetlow, H., Ward, K., Shenton, J., Cannon, J., Komuravelli, A., Gaughan, A., Eley, R., Rogers, C. E., et al. (2021) · Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology · doi:10.1177/0891988721996816 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Dementia wellbeing and COVID-19: review and expert consensus on current research and knowledge gaps
Liu, K. Y., Howard, R., Banerjee, S., Comas‐Herrera, A., Goddard, J., Knapp, M., Livingston, G., Manthorpe, J., O'Brien, J. T., Paterson, R. W., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5567 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Self-citationCohen, G., Russo, M. J., Campos, J., & Allegri, R. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00866 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Antipsychotic prescribing to people with dementia during COVID-19
Howard, R., Burns, A. S., & Schneider, L. S. S. (2020) · The Lancet Neurology · doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(20)30370-7 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Baschi, R., Luca, A., Nicoletti, A. S. Q., Caccamo, M., Cicero, C. E., D’Agate, C., Giorgi, L. D., Bianca, G. L., Castro, T. L., Zappia, M., et al. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.590134 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Borelli, W. V., Augustin, M. C., de Oliveira, P. B. F., Reggiani, L. C., de Mello, R. G. B., Schuh, A. F. S., Chaves, M. L. F., & Castilhos, R. M. (2021) · Journal of Alzheimer s Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-201513 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
van Maurik, I. S., Bakker, E. D., van den Buuse, S., Gillissen, F., Beek, M. H. C. T. V., Lemstra, E., Mank, A., van den Bosch, K. A., van Leeuwenstijn, M. S. S. A., Bouwman, F. H., et al. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.585686 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Challenging behavior of nursing home residents during COVID-19 measures in the Netherlands
Leontjevas, R., Knippenberg, I. A. H., Smalbrugge, M., Plouvier, A. O. A., Teunisse, S., Bakker, C., Koopmans, R. T. C. M., & Gerritsen, D. L. (2020) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2020.1857695 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Pongan, É., COVCARE Group, Dorey, J., Borg, C., Getenet, J. C., Bachelet, R., Lourioux, C., Laurent, B., Rey, R., & Rouch, I. (2021) · Journal of Alzheimer s Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-201396 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Systematic reviews of effectiveness
Oliver, S. R., Peersman, G., & Oakley, A. (2001) · Open University Press eBooks · Cited by 37 · see citing works
The behavioral pattern of patients with frontotemporal dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic
Suzuki, M., Hotta, M., Nagase, A., Yamamoto, Y., Hirakawa, N., Satake, Y., Nagata, Y., Suehiro, T., Kanemoto, H., Yoshiyama, K., et al. (2020) · International Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1017/s104161022000109x · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Low, L., Hinsliff‐Smith, K., Sinha, S. K., et al. (2021) · Journal of the American Medical Directors Association · doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2021.02.020 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Impact of Coronavirus Disease 20 19 Pandemic on Cognition in Parkinson's Disease
Palermo, G., Tommasini, L., Baldacci, F., Prete, E. D., Siciliano, G., & Ceravolo, R. (2020) · Movement Disorders · doi:10.1002/mds.28254 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Gómez-Gallego, M., Gómez-García, J., & Ato-Lozano, E. (2014) · The journal of nutrition health & aging · doi:10.1007/s12603-014-0564-7 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Safe infection prevention and control practices with compassion – A positive legacy of COVID-19
Storr, J., Kilpatrick, C., & Vassallo, A. (2021) · American Journal of Infection Control · doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2020.12.016 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- [6]A. Comas-Herrera, M. Salcher-Konrad, J. Baumbusch, N. Farina, C. Goodman, K. Lorenz-Dant, L.F. Low. Rapid Review of the Evidence on Impacts of Visiting Policies in Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. (https://ltccovid.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rapid-review-of-evidence-on-impacts-of-visiting-policies-in-care-homes-during-the-COVID-pandemic-LSE068110.pdf
- [8]Suarez-Gonzalez A. Comas-Herrera A. Livingston G. Impact of COVID-19 on people living with dementia: emerging international evidence a, 29 June Rapid Response BMJ 2020 https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2463/rr-0
- [14]Suarez-Gonzalez A. Rajagopalan J. Alladi S. A Rapid Review Of The Effect Of Covid-19 Isolation Measures On The Cognitive And Mental Health Of People Living With Dementia 2021 PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021229259 Available from https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021229259 PMC8342894 34386758
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Liu, K. Y., Costafreda, S. G., Selbæk, G., Alladi, S., Ames, D., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Brayne, C., et al. (2024) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01296-0 · Cited by 3,860 · see citing works
Self-citationSocial participation and risk of developing dementia
Sommerlad, A., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E. B., Röhr, S., Shirai, K., Singh-Manoux, A., & Livingston, G. (2023) · Nature Aging · doi:10.1038/s43587-023-00387-0 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Impact of Loneliness and Social Isolation on Cognitive Aging: A Narrative Review
Guarnera, J., Yuen, E., & Macpherson, H. (2023) · Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports · doi:10.3233/adr-230011 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Dementia wellbeing and COVID-19: review and expert consensus on current research and knowledge gaps
Liu, K. Y., Howard, R., Banerjee, S., Comas‐Herrera, A., Goddard, J., Knapp, M., Livingston, G., Manthorpe, J., O'Brien, J. T., Paterson, R. W., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/gps.5567 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Self-citationCarbone, E. A., de Filippis, R., Roberti, R., Rania, M., Destefano, L., Russo, E., De Sarro, G., Segura-Garcia, C., & De Fazio, P. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.782833 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
- Authors
- Suárez-González, A., Rajagopalan, J., Livingston, G., & Alladi, S.
- Affiliations
- National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IN)
- University College London (GB)
- Venue
- EClinicalMedicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-09
- Volume
- 39
- Pages
- 101047
- ISSN
- 2589-5370 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8342894
- OpenAlex
- W3187584555
- Cited by
- 130
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 7
- FWCI
- 3.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- EClinicalMedicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- medRxiv (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (acceptedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust/Institute of Cancer Research
- Economic and Social Research Council
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (ES/S010467/1)
- UCL
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, isolation measures, lockdown, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, cognitive decline, behavioral and psychological symptoms, mental health, functional decline, care homes, community-dwelling people with dementia, non-maleficence
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
