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Review
. 2022 Jun;78(6):1551-1573.
doi: 10.1111/jan.15175. Epub 2022 Feb 12.

The prevalence of mental health conditions in healthcare workers during and after a pandemic: Systematic review and meta-analysis

James Edward Hill  1 , Catherine Harris  1 , Christian Danielle L  1 , Paul Boland  1 , Alison J Doherty  1 , Valerio Benedetto  1 , Bhutani E Gita  2 , Andrew J Clegg  1
Affiliations
Review

The prevalence of mental health conditions in healthcare workers during and after a pandemic: Systematic review and meta-analysis

James Edward Hill et al. J Adv Nurs. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Aims: This review aims to explore the prevalence and incidence rates of mental health conditions in healthcare workers during and after a pandemic outbreak and which factors influence rates.

Background: Pandemics place considerable burden on care services, impacting on workers' health and their ability to deliver services. We systematically reviewed the prevalence and incidence of mental health conditions in care workers during pandemics.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources: Searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and PsychINFO for cohort, cross-sectional and case-control studies were undertaken on the 31 March 2020 (from inception to 31 March 2020).

Review methods: Only prevalence or incidence rates for mental health conditions from validated tools were included. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by two reviewers. Meta-analyses and subgroup analyses were produced for pandemic period (pre- and post), age, country income, country, clinical setting for major depression disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Results: No studies of incidence were found. Prevalence estimates showed that the most common mental health condition was PTSD (21.7%) followed by anxiety disorder (16.1%), MDD (13.4%) and acute stress disorder (7.4%) (low risk of bias). For symptoms of these conditions there was substantial variation in the prevalence estimates for depression (95% confidence interval [CI]:31.8%; 60.5%), anxiety (95% CI:34.2%; 57.7%) and PTSD symptoms (95% CI,21.4%; 65.4%) (moderate risk of bias). Age, level of exposure and type of care professional were identified as important moderating factors.

Conclusion: Mental disorders affect healthcare workers during and after infectious disease pandemics, with higher proportions experiencing symptoms.

Impact: This review provides prevalence estimates of mental health conditions during and after a pandemic which could be used to inform service staffing impact and formulation of preventative strategies, by identifying clinical populations who may be at high risk of developing mental health symptoms and conditions.

Keywords: Covid-19; SARS; health and social care workers; incidence; mental health; nursing; pandemic; prevalence; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flow diagram
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Forest plot PTSD (combined after/before pandemic)
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Forest plot prevalence post‐traumatic (PTSD) symptoms (combined after/before pandemic)
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Forest plot prevalence anxiety disorders
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Forest plot anxiety symptoms (combined after/before pandemic)
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Forest plot depression MDD (combined after/before pandemic)
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Forest plot depressive symptoms (combined after/before pandemic)
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Forest plot acute stress disorder
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 9
Forest plot psychological distress
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