The prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review of meta-analyses

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers, who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, are particularly susceptible to physical and mental health consequences such as anxiety and depression. The aim of this umbrella review of meta-analyses is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Using relevant keywords, data resources including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Embase were searched to obtain systematic reviews and meta-analyses reporting the prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of January to the end of October 2020. The random effects model was used for meta-analysis, and the I² index was employed to assess heterogeneity among studies. Data was analyzed using STATA 14 software.

Results: In the primary search, 103 studies were identified, and ultimately 7 studies were included in the umbrella review. The results showed that the overall prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic was 24.94% (95% CI: 21.83-28.05, I² = 0.0%, P = 0.804) and 24.83% (95% CI: 21.41-28.25, I² = 0.0%, P = 0.897), respectively.

Conclusion: This umbrella review shows that the prevalence of anxiety and depression is relatively high among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers should be provided with resources to minimize this risk.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health personnel; Mental disorder; Meta-analysis; Systematic review.