SynthesisFrontiers in public health2022
Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression Among the General Population in Africa During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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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
31 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gender differences in the prevalence of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and associated factors among adults in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled 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
- Prevalence of suicide ideation among HIV/AIDS patients in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Estimated Impact of Pressure to Conceive on Maternal Depression in Lesotho: A Quasi-experimental Propensity Score Matching using DHS Data.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- Sustained mental health impacts of COVID-19 among people living with and without HIV in the Dominican Republic.BMC public health · 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
- Psychometric properties of the culturally adapted 10-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-10-SW) anxiety subscale for southwestern Madagascar.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Prevalence and social determinants of anxiety and depressive disorders and symptoms among adults in Ghana: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Review
- Resurgence of epidemics in Zinder: effect of the decrease in vaccination coverage and the impacts of climate change.IJID regions · 2025Review
- Retention and effectiveness of group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G) to treat depression at scale in Uganda and Zambia.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Neurostimulation in the Middle East: What Do We Know So Far? A Narrative Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Prevalence of anxiety symptoms in a Ugandan population sample and psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7) in Luganda and Runyoro.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression Among Children and Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries-A Systematic Review.Psychiatric research and clinical practice · 2025Review
- Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of probable depression and anxiety symptoms in Mozambique: A secondary data analysis.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of mental and substance use problems among adults in Kenya: A community-based cross-sectional study.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Pharmacogenetics testing for poor response to antidepressants: a transnosographic case series.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Examining associations between mental health and Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (C-NCDs) among older adults in Wakiso, Uganda.PloS one · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Medical and socio-economic uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have had a substantial impact on mental health. This study aimed to systematically review the existing literature reporting the prevalence of anxiety and depression among the general populace in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine associated risk factors. Methods: A systematic search of the following databases African Journal Online, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from database inception until 30th September 2021. Studies reporting the prevalence of anxiety and/or depression among the general populace in African settings were considered for inclusion. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Meta-analyses on prevalence rates were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software. Results: Seventy-eight primary studies (62,380 participants) were identified from 2,325 studies via electronic and manual searches. Pooled prevalence rates for anxiety (47%, 95% CI: 40-54%, Conclusions: The evidence put forth in this synthesis demonstrates the substantial impact of the pandemic on the pervasiveness of these psychological symptoms among the general population. Governments and stakeholders across continental Africa should therefore prioritize the allocation of available resources to institute educational programs and other intervention strategies for preventing and ameliorating universal distress and promoting psychological wellbeing. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021228023, PROSPERO CRD42021228023.
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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.