ArticleProgress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry2021
Younger people are more vulnerable to stress, anxiety and depression during COVID-19 pandemic: A global cross-sectional survey.
Article in Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 346 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
346 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 714 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of COVID-19 on Depression, Anxiety and Stress of Dental Students: A Systematic Review.European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of impacts of COVID-19 on depression and anxiety among general populations around the world.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- The Association of Social Support and Loneliness with Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- The Effect of a Fortified Date Bar on Perceived Stress and Morning Salivary Cortisol in Female Students: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- A proprietary herbal extract of ashwagandha root for stress and anxiety in healthy adults: a randomized, double-blind, three-arm, placebo-controlled efficacy and safety study.Journal of medicine and life · 2026Trial
- Acute treatment residual depression symptoms and functional impairment among depressive patients of different age groups and education levels in China: A prospective, multicenter, randomized study.Brain and behavior · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Mental Health Correlates of Problematic Smartphone Use Among Multicultural Adolescents: The Findings From a National Survey in South Korea.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- How Information-Seeking Reduces Cancer Fatalism: A Comparison of the Mediating Role of Risk Perception in Young and Older Adults.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2026Article
- The association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and depression symptom severity among U.S. adults: A multivariable analysis of NHANES data.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Effects of Painting-Based Art Interventions on Mental Health Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Temporal dynamics and associated factors of sleep quality in Chinese boarding high school students: a repeated cross-sectional study across four waves (2019-2024).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Presentation and temporal nature of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a US national cohort.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Social Rhythms, Depressive Symptoms, and Quality of Life: An Unbreakable Bond in an Older Adult Sample.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Observational
- Sleepless in Society: Introducing the Concept of Public Sleep.Clocks & sleep · 2026Article
- COVID-19, Anti-Asian Discrimination and Stress: Impacts and Mental Health Needs by Age.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- The mental health of US veterans before and after the COVID-19 pandemic: examining the demographic and environmental correlates of courses of distress in the LIGHT cohort.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Association Between Visceral Adipose Tissue and Depression Risk With Both Observational and Genetic Evidence.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Wellness4Students Program to Mitigate Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Among Makerere University Students in Uganda: Protocol for a Longitudinal Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Trends in depressive episodes in pre-, intra-, and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods among South Korean adults.BMC public health · 2026Article
286 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
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-ranging consequences for general physical and mental health. Country-specific research reveals a general reduction in mental and physical well-being, due to measures undertaken to stop the spread of COVID-19 disease. However, research is yet to examine the impact of the pandemic on global psychological distress and its effects upon vulnerable groups. Exploration of the factors that potentially mediate the relationship between stress and mental health during this period is needed, to assist in undertaking concrete measures to mitigate psychological distress and support vulnerable groups. Therefore, this study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological distress globally, and identified factors that may exacerbate decline in mental health. N = 1653 participants (mean age 42.90 ± 13.63 years; 30.3% males) from 63 countries responded to the survey. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire and State Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively. Other measures included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Globally, consistently high levels of stress, anxiety, depression and poor sleep were observed regardless of number of COVID-19 cases. Over 70% of the respondents had greater than moderate levels of stress, with 59% meeting the criteria for clinically significant anxiety and 39% reporting moderate depressive symptoms. People with a prior mental health diagnosis experienced greater psychological distress. Poor sleep, lower levels of resilience, younger age and loneliness significantly mediated the links between stress and depression, and stress and anxiety. Age-based differences revealed that younger age-groups were more vulnerable to stress, depression and anxiety symptoms. Results show that these vulnerable individuals need more support. Age-specific interventions for modifiable factors that mediate the psychological distress need to urgently deployed to address the global mental health pandemic.
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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.