SynthesisThe British journal of clinical psychology2022
Investigating the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom: Systematic review and meta-analyses.
Synthesis in The British journal of clinical psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 2 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
- The KIND Challenge community intervention to reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood relationships: an international randomized controlled trial.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Trial
- Mixed-methods feasibility outcomes for a novel ACT-based video game 'ACTing Minds' to support mental health.BMJ open · 2024Trial
- Impact of 15 years of social, political and economic shocks on population mental health in the UK: a longitudinal, Bayesian quasi-experimental analysis.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Simulating COVID-19 lockdowns' impact on depressive symptoms in the northern Netherlands.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Trajectory of severe COVID anxiety and predictors for recovery in an 18-month UK cohort.BJPsych open · 2025Article
- Why Public Health Is Not About Public Goods.Public health ethics · 2025Article
- Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms in Women with Rheumatic Disease of Reproductive Age: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Epidemiological outcomes and policy implementation in the Nordic countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Depressive symptomatology in Brazil: perspectives of statistical and psychometrics analyses of the PHQ-9 at four time-points (2020-2023) in the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Staying isolated indoors means that nobody sees me": ontological (in)security and living with significant appearance concerns before, during, and 'since' COVID-19.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2024Article
- Housing Environmental Enrichment, Lifestyles, and Public Health Indicators of Neurogenesis in Humans: A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Advances in Therapeutics to Alleviate Cognitive Decline and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Acceptance, Satisfaction, and Preference With Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021-2022: Survey Among Patients With Chronic Pain.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- The COVID-19 lockdown experience suggests that restricting the supply of gambling can reduce gambling problems: An Australian prospective study.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2024Article
- Article
- Comparison of volumetric brain analysis in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Exploring depressive symptom trajectories in COVID-19 patients with clinically mild condition in South Korea using remote patient monitoring: longitudinal data analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Positive Mental Health of Migrants in the UK during COVID-19: A Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health. Specifically, the stringent lockdown restrictions have heightened anxiety and depression. Therefore, monitoring and supporting the mental health of the population during these unprecedented times is an immediate priority.
methodsIn this systematic review and meta-analyses, articles that explored the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom were included. We searched the databases Embase, Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, and PsycINFO for cross-sectional studies. We conducted meta-analyses of prevalence rates using a random-effects model, and the heterogeneity of studies was examined using the I
resultsFourteen studies involving 46,158 participants were included in the review. The studies use clinical cut-off scores on anxiety and depression measures to define cases. While the prevalence of anxiety was 31.00% (95% CI = 26.00 to 35.00), the prevalence of depression was 32.00% (95% CI = 29.00 to 35.00). The prevalence of anxiety pre-pandemic was 4.65%, indicating a 26.35% increase. Whereas the prevalence of depression pre-pandemic was 4.12%, indicating a 27.88% increase. Moreover, participants experienced a slightly greater prevalence of depression than anxiety by 1.00%.
conclusionsTo conclude, the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom increased the prevalence of anxiety and depression among the general population, compared to pre-pandemic data. Hence, it is vital that policymakers and mental health services maximize their efforts to monitor mental health and provide interventions to support those in need. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Clinical implications Awareness of the high prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first lockdown in the United Kingdom can inform policy development that substantial effort, time, and funding of mental health services are required to support those in need. Similarly, awareness of the prevalence of anxiety and depression in the United Kingdom can contribute to the development of nation-specific interventions and initiatives. Limitations The current review focuses on the UK general population which does not allow the findings to be generalized to the global population. The indirect comparison of the current prevalence rates with the corresponding pre-pandemic prevalence rates obtained from a different study sample increases individual differences, weakening the reliability of the findings.
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