Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36537131›Full record

SynthesisAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences2023

Prevalence of mental health symptoms in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis.

Jiawen Deng, Fangwen Zhou, Wenteng Hou, Kiyan Heybati, Simran Lohit, Umaima Abbas, Zachary Silver, Chi Yi Wong, Oswin Chang, Emma Huang and 4 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 128 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
128citing papers in PubMed, 10 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

128 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  5. [Meta analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms among children and adolescents in China from 2015 to 2024].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2025
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68 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

14 authors.

Jiawen DengTemerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8274-6468
Fangwen ZhouFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Wenteng HouFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Kiyan HeybatiFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Simran LohitFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Umaima AbbasSchulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (Windsor Campus), University of Western Ontario, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Zachary SilverDepartment of Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Chi Yi WongFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Oswin ChangFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Emma HuangFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Qi Kang ZuoDepartment of Anesthesiology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Myron MoskalykFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Harikrishnaa Ba RamarajuVirginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Shayan HeybatiFaculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying infection control measures introduced sudden and significant disruptions to the lives of children and adolescents around the world. Given the potential for negative impacts on the mental health of youths as a result of these changes, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances in children and adolescents during the pandemic. We searched major literature databases for relevant cross-sectional or longitudinal studies that included primary and secondary school students or children and adolescents ≤18 years of age. Prevalence values were extracted, logit-transformed, and pooled. Based on 191 included studies with 1,389,447 children and adolescents, we found the pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances to be 31%, 31%, and 42%, respectively. Age, grade levels, education levels, gender, geographical regions, and electronics use were correlated with the prevalence of mental health symptoms. The prevalence of mental health symptoms also increased with time, although signs of recovery and stabilization were also observed. Overall, the results from this review demonstrate the need for increased mental health research, monitoring, and intervention for children and adolescents during the current and future pandemics.

Indexed as

COVID-19Sleep Wake DisordersAdolescentAnxietyChildCross-Sectional StudiesDepressionHumansMental HealthPandemicsPrevalenceadolescentanxietychildrenCOVID-19depressionsleep disturbances

Identifiers

PMID36537131
PMCPMC9880764

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.