ReviewPsychology research and behavior management2020
The Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Review in Psychology research and behavior management, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 155 citations in OpenAlex.
- Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of web-based and mobile PTSD Coach: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Pooled it
- The effect of supporting districts to operationalise digital payments for vaccination campaign workers: a cluster randomised controlled trial during the 2022 polio vaccination campaign in Uganda.BMJ global health · 2025Trial
- Article
- Implementation of a Mental Health Literacy e-Curriculum (MHLeC) in Malawi Universities: a feasibility cluster randomised trial protocol.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Advancing Health Infrastructure to Address Mental Health Disorders among People Living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.Ethnicity & disease · 2025Article
- A global survey on the associations between the lockdown group, free memory recall and emotional responses during the COVID-19 lockdown.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- A qualitative study on behavioral and social drivers of COVID-19 vaccine amongst refugees and migrants in Pakistan.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- A cross-sectional study on the mental health of healthcare workers treating COVID-19 positive patients in Gauteng, South Africa.The Pan African medical journal · 2025Article
- In-Person Social Interactions and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Role of Household Size and Virtual Social Contact Among Midlife and Older Black South African Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024Article
- Integrating Mental Health Management into Empowerment Group Sessions for Out-of-School Adolescents in Kenyan Informal Settlements: A Process Paper.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Gendered socio-economic and mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among adults living in selected informal settlements in Kenya: an intersectional analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- COVID-19 and persistent symptoms: implications for polycystic ovary syndrome and its management.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- The impacts of COVID-19 on older adults in Uganda and Ethiopia: Perspectives from non-governmental organization staff and volunteers.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety among workers at two points of entry in Botswana during the COVID-19 pandemic.The Pan African medical journal · 2024Article
- Experiences on the frontline: Qualitative accounts of South African healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care and people with mental health conditions in Ethiopia: the MASC mixed-methods study.International journal of mental health systems · 2023Article
- Exploring the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa: a descriptive phenomenological study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2023Article
- Prospective Cohort Study of Emergency Department Visit Frequency and Diagnoses Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic in Urban, Low-Income, US- and Foreign-Born Mothers in Boston, MA.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Effects of COVID-19 on malaria elimination initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2023Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is leading to mental health problems due to disease experience, physical distancing, stigma and discrimination, and job losses in many of the settings hardest hit by the pandemic. Health care workers, patients with COVID-19 and other illnesses, children, women, youth, and the elderly are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Virtual mental health services have been established in many settings and social media is being used to impart mental health education and communication resources. This rapid review highlights mental health services across countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. More needs to be done to take these services to scale and ensure equity and efficiency. The impact of COVID-19 on mental health in sub-Saharan Africa could be immense, given the weak health care systems. Similar to the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016, COVID-19 is expected to cause anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders. Uptake of mental health care services is generally low, and communities rely on social resources. Hence, efforts to control the disease transmission should be contextualized. Low digital literacy, low smartphone penetration and limited internet connection make online mental health services a limited option for service delivery. Safeguarding social and cultural resilience factors and coping mechanisms is critical in the sub-Saharan African context. Mass media is a feasible way of providing social resources. Community health workers can be trained quickly to provide mental health education, screening and counselling services. Toll-free mental health helplines can be used to provide services to health care workers and those needing customized care. Mental health and psychosocial support services need to be integrated into the pandemic response and coordinated nationally. It is critical for these services to continue during and after the epidemic.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.