Cited by 952COVID-19 and Mental HealthMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumMental Health Treatment and Access

Prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychological distress among populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Open access
Cénat, Jude Mary, Blais-Rochette, Camille, Kokou-Kpolou, Cyrille Kossigan, Noorishad, Pari-Gole, Mukunzi, Joana N., McIntee, Sara-Emilie, Dalexis, Rose Darly, Goulet, Marc-André +1 more·2021·Psychiatry Research

Abstract

Objective We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence of depression, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and Psychological distress (PD) related to COVID-19 among affected populations.Methods We searched articles in Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science. Random-effects meta-analyses on the proportions of individuals with symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and PD were generated and between-group differences for gender, healthcare workers (HCWs), and regions where studies were conducted.Results A total of 2189 articles were screened, 136 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Fifty-five peer-reviewed studies met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis (N=189,159). The prevalence of depression (k=46) was 15.97% (95%CI, 13.24-19.13). The prevalence of anxiety (k=54) was 15.15% (95%CI, 12.29-18.54). The prevalence of insomnia (k=14) was 23.87% (95%CI, 15.74-34.48). The prevalence of PTSD (k=13) was 21.94% (95%CI, 9.37-43.31). Finally, the prevalence of psychological distress (k=19) was 13.29% (95%CI, 8.80-19.57). Between-group differences were only found in HCWs (z=2.69, p < 0.05) who had a higher prevalence of insomnia than others.Conclusions Findings suggest that the short-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 are equally high across affected countries, and across gender. However, reports of insomnia are significantly higher among HCWs than the general population.

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  • Insomnia complaints during COVID-19 are two to three times higher than in prior years.

    “Insomnia complaints are two to three times higher during COVID-19 compared to prior years [4].”

    From Overview of sleep management during COVID-19. (2022) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Discussion (page not provided) reports significantly higher insomnia prevalence in populations affected by COVID-19 than in the general population under normal circumstances. It does not quantify the increase as two to three times higher. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, reported global prevalence of insomnia symptoms is 20-45%.

    “Prevalence rates of 20–45% are reported globally for insomnia symptoms during the pandemic.”

    From Overview of sleep management during COVID-19. (2022) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Results > Insomnia section reports a pooled prevalence of 23.87% during the pandemic, supporting a prevalence rate within the claimed range. It does not report a global range of 20–45%; its estimates are 16.45% for citizens and 36.52% for healthcare workers (page not provided in our copy). (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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7 of the 91 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Higgins J.P.T. Thomas J. Chandler J. Cumpston M. Li T. Page M. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, Version 6 2019 Cochrane ed PMC10284251 31643080
  2. Moccia L. Janiri D. Pepe M. Dattoli L. Molinaro M. De Martin V. Chieffo D. Janiri L. Fiorillo A. Sani G. Di Nicola M. Affective temperament, attachment style, and the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak: an early report on the Italian general population Brain. Behav. Immun. 2020 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048 PMC7169930 32325098 · DOI · Paper page
  3. Pappa S. Ntella V. Giannakas T. Giannakoulis V.G. Papoutsi E. Katsaounou P. Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis Brain. Behav. Immun. 2020 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.026 PMC7206431 32437915 · DOI · Paper page

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Authors
Cénat, J. M., Blais-Rochette, C., Kokou-Kpolou, C. K., Noorishad, P.-G., Mukunzi, J. N., McIntee, S.-E., Dalexis, R. D., Goulet, M.-A., & Labelle, P. R.
Affiliations
University of Ottawa (CA)
Corresponding author
Cénat, Jude Mary
Venue
Psychiatry Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-01
Volume
295
Pages
113599
ISSN
0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3108549363
Cited by
952
References
91
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 141 · 2023: 243 · 2022: 288 · 2021: 174 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1
FWCI
14.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological distress, mental health prevalence, healthcare workers, gender differences, mental health during pandemic
MeSH terms
Psychological Distress, COVID-19, Anxiety, Depression, Health Personnel, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Prevalence

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