Objective: The purpose of this review is to examine review literature on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Studies were identified by an online search of the PubMed database. We selected studies published from January to May 2020 (during the COVID-19 emergency).
Results: We found that psychological effects of COVID-19 remain serious among the most of the population, in particular for people with mental disorders, adolescents, healthcare workers, and the general population that experienced high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms, with possible long-term psychological implications.
Conclusion: Findings revealed that living in urban areas, having economic stability, and living with parents were protective factors against anxiety for youth groups, whereas a risk factor was represented by the presence of COVID-19 infection that involved family members.
Keywords: COVID-19; emergency psychology; emotional epidemiology; mental health; psychological intervention.
© 2022 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.