Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Science Communicator Platform

Stay connected! Follow us on X network (Twitter):
Share this content! On (X network) By
Estimation of the Prevalence of Anxiety During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis of Meta-Analyses Publisher Pubmed



Aminirarani M1 ; Azamiaghdash S2 ; Mousavi Isfahani H3 ; Mohseni M1
Authors
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
  2. 2. Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  3. 3. Health Management and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Source: BMC Public Health Published:2024


Abstract

Background: Pandemics such as COVID-19, can lead to psychiatric symptoms like anxiety. It seems that meta-analysis of meta-analysis studies can provide more comprehensive information regarding the needs for post-COVID-19 services. Therefore, this umbrella review and meta-analysis of meta-analyses aimed to estimate the precise prevalence of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for published meta-analyses using relevant keywords, such as Anxiety, Prevalence, COVID-19, and Meta-analysis up to November 1, 2023. Google Scholar, reference check, citation check, and grey literature were manually searched. A random-effect model was used for the analysis. All analyses were conducted using STATA: 17. Results: Out of the 4263 records, Finally, 75 meta-analyses were included. The overall prevalence of anxiety was 30.4% [95% CI: 29–31.8] with a high heterogeneity (I2: 86.76%). The highest prevalence of anxiety according to population type was 41.3% in patients and then in students (30.8), pregnant women (30.6%), and health care workers (30.5%). The Result of meta-regression showed that “Time” (based on the time between the start of COVID-19 and the last search date in articles) was not a significant predictor of the prevalence of anxiety (R Coefficient = 0.000149, P = 0.61). Conclusions: Considering the prevalence of anxiety among patients, students, pregnant women, and healthcare workers, special attention should be paid to these groups in case of the re-occurrence of COVID-19 or occurrence of other pandemics. As quarantine due to pandemics causes reduced social interactions, reduced income, and increased worry about severe illness and death, there is a need for large-scale mobilization of political measures. © The Author(s) 2024.
Related Docs
View other Related Docs
1. An Umbrella Review of the Prevalence of Depression During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Call to Action for Post-Covid-19 at the Global Level, BMC Public Health (2024)
2. Mental Health of Healthcare Workers During the Third Wave of the Covid‑19 Pandemic: Did We Forget Them After the First Wave?, Advanced Biomedical Research (2023)
3. Influential Factors of General Anxiety Disorder Among Iranian Pregnant Women During the Second Peak of Covid-19 Pandemic, Psychology, Health and Medicine (2022)
4. Health Psychology and Coronavirus Pandemic Crisis (Covid-19): A Review Study, Journal of Isfahan Medical School (2020)
5. The Correlation Between Mental Health and Corona Anxiety Among Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine Clinicians Abstract, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (2022)
6. Quality of Life, Anxiety and Mindfulness During the Prevalence of Covid-19: A Comparison Between Medical and Non-Medical Students, BMC Public Health (2024)
7. Changes in Lifestyle Behaviors of Children and Adolescents During the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Impact on the Development of Non-Communicable Diseases: A Narrative Review, Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2022)
8. Mental Health and Fear of Covid-19 in Iranian Pregnant Women: A Multi-Center Study, Nursing and Midwifery Studies (2022)
Experts (# of related papers)
View all Related Experts
Fatemeh Ghaedi-Heidari (5)
Vahid Shaygannejad (4)
Other Related Docs
9. Evaluating Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and Health Anxiety Symptoms in Caregivers of Covid-19 Inpatients, International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture (2024)
10. Fear and Anxiety in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis During Covid-19 Pandemic; Report of an Iranian Population, Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders (2021)
11. Prevalence of Psychological Disorders Among Health Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, International Journal of Preventive Medicine (2023)
12. Psychological Effects of the Outbreak of Covid-19 on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in Iran, Iranian Rehabilitation Journal (2022)
13. Phobia and Fear of Covid-19: Origins, Complications and Management, a Narrative Review; [Fobia E Paura Del Covid-19: Origini, Complicanze E Gestione: Una Revisione Narrativa], Annali di Igiene Medicina Preventiva e di Comunita (2021)
14. Investigating the Effect of Quarantine Caused by Covid-19 on Mental Health and Social Trust, Przeglad epidemiologiczny (2021)
15. Estimated Global Proportions of Individuals With Persistent Fatigue, Cognitive, and Respiratory Symptom Clusters Following Symptomatic Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021, JAMA (2022)
16. Generalized Anxiety Disorder During the Covid-19 Outbreak in Iran: The Role of Social Dysfunction, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (2021)
17. Ethical Challenges of Nurses Related Covid-19 Pandemic in Inpatient Wards: An Integrative Review, Ethics, Medicine and Public Health (2021)
18. The Psychological Impact of Covid-19 on Mothers With Premature Infants, Evidence Based Care Journal (2021)
19. Healthcare Workers’ Sleep and Mood Disturbances During Covid-19 Outbreak in an Iranian Referral Center, Sleep and Breathing (2021)
20. Fear of Re-Infection, Relapse, and Anxiety During Covid-19 Pandemic in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Multi-Center Study, Current Journal of Neurology (2023)
21. Relationship Between Stress and Anxiety Regarding Covid-19 With Some Individual-Familial Characteristics Among First-Semester Students, Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care (2023)
22. Evaluation of Perceived Anxiety Caused by Covid-19 Pandemic With Its Related Factors in the Staff of Isfahan Health Centers, Iran, in 2020, Journal of Health System Research (2022)
23. Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Its Impact on the Cognition of Older Adults: Unraveling the Role of Inflammation, Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology (2024)
24. Psychological Impact of Covid-19 on Health-Care Workers: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study, Journal of Research in Medical Sciences (2021)
25. The Relationship Between Anxiety, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Growth of the Medical Students in Covid-19 Pandemic in Iran, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (2022)
26. Risk Factors of Severe Covid-19 in People With Multiple Sclerosis : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Revue Neurologique (2022)
27. Evaluation of Covid-19 Pandemic on Components of Social and Mental Health Using Machine Learning, Analysing United States Data in 2020, Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022)
28. Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Covid-19 in Hospitalized Pediatrics: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study, Archives of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (2023)
29. Cancer Patients’ Challenges During Covid-19 Pandemic: An Approach to Decision-Making in Management and Policy-Making, Archives of Clinical Infectious Diseases (2021)
30. The Outcomes of Covid-19 Epidemic Crisis on the Elderly: A Review Study, Journal of Isfahan Medical School (2021)
31. Predictors of Catching Covid-19 Infection During Pandemic Stage in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis (Ms), International Journal of Preventive Medicine (2022)
32. Pulmonary Function, Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep Quality After Recovery From Covid-19, Tanaffos (2023)
33. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Iranian Healthcare Workers Dealing With Covid-19 Pandemic, Health Education and Health Promotion (2022)
34. The Safe Coping Strategy of Nurses Working in the Care Units of Patients With Covid‑19: A Qualitative Study, Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research (2023)
35. Baseline Socioeconomic Status Predicting Post-Covid-19 Symptoms: Results From Isfahan Covid Cohort (Icc) Study, Preventive Medicine Reports (2024)
36. The Information Needs of the Iranian People in the Covid-19 Pandemic From the Perspective of Health Professionals: A Qualitative Approach, Journal of Education and Community Health (2021)
37. Risk Factors Associated With Severity and Death From Covid-19 in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study, Journal of Intensive Care Medicine (2023)
38. Prevalence of Self-Medication During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Frontiers in Public Health (2022)
39. Health Literacy Among University Students in the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review, Acta Medica Indonesiana (2024)
40. Investigating the Psychological Effects of Caring for Patients Infected With the Coronavirus on the Occurrence of Clinical Errors Among Nurses Working in Covid-19 Referral Hospitals, Journal of Health System Research (2025)
41. The Effect of Internet-Delivered Mindfulness Stress Reduction Combined With Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Health Anxiety and Quality of Life of Caregiver of Patients Infected by Covid-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial, International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery (2023)
42. Information Needs of Pregnant Women in the Covid-19 Pandemic From Experts’ Point of View: A Qualitative Study, International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery (2021)
43. The Iranian Corona Stress Study: Psychological Impacts of Covid‑19 Pandemic in an Iranian Population, International Journal of Preventive Medicine (2022)
44. Fear of Relapse, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Level) of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis (Ms) During the Covid-19 Pandemic Stage, Neurological Sciences (2021)
45. The Role of Vitamin D in the Age of Covid-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, International Journal of Clinical Practice (2021)
46. The Role of Cytokine Profile and Lymphocyte Subsets in the Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Life Sciences (2020)
47. The Effect of Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Maternal and Neonatal Health: A Cohort Study From Isfahan, Iran, International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (2023)
48. The Effect of Relaxation Education Intervention on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Female Teachers During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Journal of Education and Health Promotion (2023)
49. Assessment of Mental Health, Knowledge, and Attitude of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder in Response to 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Neurological Sciences (2021)
50. The Effect of Prebiotics and Probiotics on Levels of Depression, Anxiety, and Cognitive Function: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials, Brain and Behavior (2025)