SynthesisInfant mental health journal2022
When the Bough Breaks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of mental health symptoms in mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Synthesis in Infant mental health journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05959538 (Building Regulation in Dual Generations), which is not on this map. Cited by 56 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Building Regulation in Dual Generations (BRIDGE) 2022-2025
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- An umbrella review of the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: Call to action for post-COVID-19 at the global level.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Estimation of the prevalence of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis of meta-analyses.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- COVID-19 and common mental health symptoms in the early phase of the pandemic: An umbrella review of the evidence.PLoS medicine · 2023Pooled it
- When the Bough Breaks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of mental health symptoms in mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic.Infant mental health journal · 2022Pooled it
- Family communication and child behavior problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.Developmental psychology · 2026Article
- Patient Perceptions of In-person and Telehealth Group Support for Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2026Article
- Family functioning following a brief, virtual emotion-focused family therapy intervention for children's mental health.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Changing Longitudinal Associations Between Home-Rearing Environments and Child Developmental Atypicality Across Two Decades.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Impact of Pandemic-Related Social Restrictions on Language and Speech Development in Children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate at 18-24 Months.The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association · 2026Article
- Anxiety in mothers of children with COVID-19 based on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2026Article
- A Qualitative Study of Center Director, Teacher, and Parent Input for Delivering a Virtual Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Model in the Aftermath of COVID-19.Early childhood education journal · 2026Article
- Online gambling during the COVID-19 pandemic: do living conditions matter?BMC public health · 2025Article
- How does maternal "belief in a dangerous world" affect maternal and child depressive symptoms during times of crisis?Journal of affective disorders reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the mental health impact of COVID-19 on parents of young children: anxiety, depression, and contributing factors.BMC public health · 2025Article
- A Plasma Proteomics-Based Model for Identifying the Risk of Postpartum Depression Using Machine Learning.Journal of proteome research · 2025Article
- Everything feels just a little heavier, more wrought with implications, you know? - a mixed-methods study examining lifestyle behaviors, health, and well-being of pregnant and postpartum women during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Mothers of Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Depressive Symptoms and Perceived Stress.Psychopathology · 2025Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Paternal Parenting Experience: A Scoping Review.Journal of family nursing · 2024Article
- Changes in home environment, lifestyles, and mental health among preschoolers who experienced lockdown during the first wave of COVID-19 in Shanghai.Children and youth services review · 2024Article
- Positive life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic moderate the association between mothers' COVID-related stressors and psychopathology.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Parents have experienced considerable challenges and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact their well-being. This meta-analysis sought to identify: (1) the prevalence of depression and anxiety in parents of young children (<age 5) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) sociodemographic (e.g., parent age, being racially minoritized) and methodological moderators (e.g., study quality) that explain heterogeneity among studies. A systematic search was conducted across four databases from January 1, 2020 to March 3, 2021. A total of 18 non-overlapping studies (8981 participants), all focused on maternal mental health, met inclusion criteria. Random-effect meta-analyses were conducted. Pooled prevalence estimates for clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms for mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic were 26.9% (95% CI: 21.3-33.4) and 41.9% (95% CI: 26.7-58.8), respectively. Prevalence of clinically elevated depression and anxiety symptoms were higher in Europe and North America and among older mothers. Clinically elevated depressive symptoms were lower in studies with a higher percentage of individuals who were racially minoritized. In comparison, clinically elevated anxiety symptoms were higher among studies of low study quality and in samples with highly educated mothers. Policies and resources targeting improvements in maternal mental health are essential.
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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.