SynthesisEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2022
COVID-19 pandemic effects on health worker's mental health: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 140 papers, 14 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.
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Who cites it
140 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The prevalence of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: an umbrella review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Supporting the well-being of nurses, paramedics, and firefighters during external crises by managing workload: an umbrella review.Industrial health · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and risk factors of burnout symptoms among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.Human resources for health · 2025Pooled it
- Identification and classification of risk factors for mental health problems in healthcare workers using a systemic framework: an umbrella review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled 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
- Effects of standardized mindfulness programs on burnout: a systematic review and original analysis from randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The prevalence of burnout among pulmonologists or respiratory therapists pre- and post-COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Organizational and Individual Interventions for Managing Work-Related Stress in Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled 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
- The Association between Resilience and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Mental Health Outcomes in Frontline Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention to alleviate stress among healthcare workers in the context of COVID-19 in China: a randomised controlled trial.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2024Trial
- Effectiveness of a mental health stepped-care programme for healthcare workers with psychological distress in crisis settings: a multicentre randomised controlled trial.BMJ mental health · 2023Trial
- Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile App and Wearable Device for Collecting Mental Health Survey and Passively Sensed Data Among Health Care Workers in Kenya: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Experiences of Loss and Grief Among Brazilian Frontline Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: A Grounded Theory Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The 'Hippocratic Oath' for AI-based clinical decision support systems.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
80 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
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) are at high risk of developing mental health concerns across several domains. The aim of this study is to determine the updated, global frequency of these outcomes.
methodsA multistep literature search was performed from database inception until March 1, 2021. PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant systematic review and PROSPERO protocol were used to identify studies reporting on depression, anxiety, acute stress, post-traumatic symptoms, insomnia, and burnout in HCWs exposed to COVID-19. A quantitative meta-analysis with random effects was conducted to analyze the proportion rate of the mental health disorders. Sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the effect of the different continents and scales. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of gender, age, and work position.
results239 articles were included (n = 271,319 HCWs, mean age = 36.08 ± 8.33 (66.99% female). 33% HCWs exposed to COVID-19 reported depressive symptoms (95% confidence intervals [CI] = 28-38%), 42% anxiety features (95% CI = 35-48), 40% acute stress (95% CI = 32-47), 32% post-traumatic symptoms (95% CI = 26-37%), 42% insomnia (95% CI = 36-48), 37% burnout (95% CI = 31-42). Sensitivity analyses did not show statistically significant differences. Meta-regressions found a statistically significant lower prevalence of post-traumatic symptoms in Asia.
conclusionsHCWs exposed to COVID-19 were found to have a significant prevalence of mental health concerns in all domains analyzed. The effects of COVID-19 on HCWs' mental health could be underestimated and the future consequences dismissed.
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