Trial reportPloS one2020
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: An international study.
Trial report in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 270 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
270 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review on the impact of social support on college students' wellbeing and mental health.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of COVID-19 Interventions: Considerations of Non-Health Impacts and Distributional Issues.Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research · 2022Pooled it
- Psychophysiological Responses of Cut Flower Fragrances as an Olfactory Stimulation by Measurement of Electroencephalogram in Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress and other psychological factors in pregnant women giving birth during the first wave of the pandemic.Reproductive health · 2022Trial
- Walking Promotion in Pregnancy and Its Effects on Insomnia: Results of Walking_Preg Project (WPP) Clinical Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Post-traumatic Reactions and Social-Emotional Competence Among Chinese High School Students Experiencing COVID-19 Lockdown: A Network Analysis.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- Health-related quality of life in parents of adolescents in 2019, 2021 and 2023.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Improving nurses' mental health through an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention: an exploratory pilot study across two healthcare contexts.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Interpersonal pandemic impact: evaluating the disparate effects of COVID-19 exposure on psychological distress.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Evolution of the profiles of new psychotropic drug users before and during the COVID-19 crisis: an original longitudinal approach through multichannel sequence analysis using the French health-care database.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Vulnerability and protective factors for PTSD in the academic community during the pandemic.Psicologia, reflexao e critica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS · 2026Article
- Mental health status of workers in the semiconductor industry during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparisons between regions on three continents.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The dual-burden of professional and academic stress: a cross-sectional mapping of mental health status and coping efficacy among postgraduate students in Nairobi, Kenya.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association of structural brain changes with cognitive deficits and fatigue in patients with post-COVID-19 condition.Brain communications · 2026Article
- A network psychometric evaluation of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - III and PsyFlex.PloS one · 2026Article
- Beyond emotions: Social cognitive predictors of COVID-19 vaccination intentions before and after vaccine roll-out.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Online gambling during the COVID-19 pandemic: do living conditions matter?BMC public health · 2025Article
- Minority Stress, General Stress, and Family Support: Associations With Mental Health and Quality of Life in LGBTQ+ Young Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2025Article
- Change in psychological distress and associated factors among Hong Kong young adults in post-COVID-19 era: a latent transition analysis.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
210 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
36 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic triggered vast governmental lockdowns. The impact of these lockdowns on mental health is inadequately understood. On the one hand such drastic changes in daily routines could be detrimental to mental health. On the other hand, it might not be experienced negatively, especially because the entire population was affected.
methodsThe aim of this study was to determine mental health outcomes during pandemic induced lockdowns and to examine known predictors of mental health outcomes. We therefore surveyed n = 9,565 people from 78 countries and 18 languages. Outcomes assessed were stress, depression, affect, and wellbeing. Predictors included country, sociodemographic factors, lockdown characteristics, social factors, and psychological factors.
resultsResults indicated that on average about 10% of the sample was languishing from low levels of mental health and about 50% had only moderate mental health. Importantly, three consistent predictors of mental health emerged: social support, education level, and psychologically flexible (vs. rigid) responding. Poorer outcomes were most strongly predicted by a worsening of finances and not having access to basic supplies.
conclusionsThese results suggest that on whole, respondents were moderately mentally healthy at the time of a population-wide lockdown. The highest level of mental health difficulties were found in approximately 10% of the population. Findings suggest that public health initiatives should target people without social support and those whose finances worsen as a result of the lockdown. Interventions that promote psychological flexibility may mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
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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.