Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35307051›Full record

ReviewBJPsych open2022

Fear of COVID-19 and its association with mental health-related factors: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zainab Alimoradi, Maurice M Ohayon, Mark D Griffiths, Chung-Ying Lin, Amir H Pakpour

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in BJPsych open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
94citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

94 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Binge-Watching and Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
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  13. BJPsych open · 2025
    Review
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  16. Validation of the Canadian English and French Versions of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in Quebec Nursing Staff.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
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34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Zainab AlimoradiSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5327-2411
Maurice M OhayonStanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center (SSERC), School of Medicine, Stanford University, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2757-5440
Mark D GriffithsInternational Gaming Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524
Chung-Ying LinInstitute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; and Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2129-4242
Amir H PakpourSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran; and Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8798-5345

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe severity of COVID-19 remains high worldwide. Therefore, millions of individuals are likely to suffer from fear of COVID-19 and related mental health factors.

aimsThe present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize empirical evidence to understand fear of COVID-19 and its associations with mental health-related problems during this pandemic period.

methodRelevant studies were searched for on five databases (Scopus, ProQuest, EMBASE, PubMed Central, and ISI Web of Knowledge), using relevant terms (COVID-19-related fear, anxiety, depression, mental health-related factors, mental well-being and sleep problems). All studies were included for analyses irrespective of their methodological quality, and the impact of quality on pooled effect size was examined by subgroup analysis.

resultsThe meta-analysis pooled data from 91 studies comprising 88 320 participants (mean age 38.88 years; 60.66% females) from 36 countries. The pooled estimated mean of fear of COVID-19 was 13.11 (out of 35), using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. The associations between fear of COVID-19 and mental health-related factors were mostly moderate (Fisher's z = 0.56 for mental health-related factors; 0.54 for anxiety; 0.42 for stress; 0.40 for depression; 0.29 for sleep problems and -0.24 for mental well-being). Methodological quality did not affect these associations.

conclusionsFear of COVID-19 has associations with various mental health-related factors. Therefore, programmes for reducing fear of COVID-19 and improving mental health are needed.

Indexed as

anxiety disordersCOVID-19depressive disordersfearsleep disorders

Identifiers

PMID35307051
PMCPMC8943231

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.