A systematic review of the prevalence of anxiety among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic

Autor: Sima Rafiei, Neda Raoofi, Fatemeh Tajik, Ahmad Ghashghaee, Sepide Rezaei, Saba Ahmadi, Zahra Hosseinipalangi, Fatemeh Torabi, Samira Raoofi, Saghar Khani, Afsaneh Dehnad, Hossein Hosseinifard, Sepideh Aghalou, Fatemeh Pashazadeh Kan
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Affective Disorders
ISSN: 0165-0327
Popis: Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect on the mental health of population worldwide. This study was conducted to systematically review the existing literature to identify the individuals at higher risk of anxiety with a view to provide targeted mental health services during this outbreak. Methods In this study, the studies focusing on anxiety prevalence among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic were searched in the PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science (WoS) and Google Scholar from the beginning of Covid-19 pandemic to February 2021. Results 103 studies constituting 140732 people included in the review. The findings showed that anxiety prevalence was 27.3% (95% CI, 23.7%; 31.2%) among general population while the prevalence in COVID-19 patients was 39.6% (95% CI, 30.1%; 50.1%). Anxiety was significantly higher among females and older adults (p≤0.05). In addition Europe revealed the highest prevalence of anxiety 54.6% (95% CI, 42.5%; 66.2%) followed by America 31.5% (95% CI, 19%; 47.5%) and Asia 28.3% (95% CI, 20.3%; 38%). In the general population the highest prevalence of anxiety was in Africa 61.8% (95% CI, 57%-66.4%) followed by America 34.9% (95% CI, 27.7%-42.9%), Europe 30.7% (95% CI, 22.8%-40%) and Asia 24.5% (95% CI, 20.7%-28.9%). Conclusion During the COVID-19 crisis, through identifying those who are more likely to be suffered from mental disorders at different layers of populations, it would be possible to apply appropriate supportive interventions with a view to provide targeted mental health services during the outbreak.
Databáze: OpenAIRE