SynthesisEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2023
Changes in anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in the European population: A meta-analysis of changes and associations with restriction policies.
Synthesis in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Changes in Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Data From the German National Cohort (NAKO) for the Years 2014–2022.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2026Observational
- Two years of COVID-19: persistently reduced well-being and increases in global psychopathology during the pandemic in a representative Austrian population-sample within the COH-FIT study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global burden of mental disorders: a counterfactual modeling study from 1990 to 2021.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Return to work for people with chronic health conditions after medical or vocational rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Global, regional, and national characteristics of the main causes of increased disease burden due to the covid-19 pandemic: time-series modelling analysis of global burden of disease study 2021.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2025Article
- Burnout trajectories among healthcare workers during a pandemic, and predictors of change.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of depression in U.S. adults: evidence from NHANES.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Past trends and future projections of psychological distress among general population in Finland.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Substance Use and Mental Health in Emerging Adult University Students Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico: A Comparative Study.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Uncertainties of Economic Policy and Government Management Stability Played Important Roles in Increasing Suicides in Japan from 2009 to 2023.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEarly studies of common mental disorders (CMDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic mainly report increases; however, more recent findings have been mixed. Also, studies assessing the effects of restriction measures on CMDs show varied results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess changes in levels of CMDs from pre-/early to during the pandemic and the effects of restriction policies in the European population.
methodsWe searched for studies assessing both pre-pandemic and peri-pandemic self-reported emotional distress and symptoms of depression or anxiety among nationally/regionally representative samples in Europe and collected microdata from those studies. Estimates of corona containment index were related to changes in CMDs using random-effects meta-regression.
resultsOur search strategy resulted in findings from 15 datasets drawn from 8 European countries being included in the meta-analysis. There was no evidence of change in the prevalence of emotional distress, anxiety, or depression from before to during the pandemic; but from early pandemic periods to later periods, there were significant decreases in emotional distress and anxiety. Increased school restrictions and social distancing were associated with small increases in self-reported emotional distress.
conclusionsDespite initial concerns of increased emotional distress and mental illness due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the results from this meta-analysis indicate that there was a decrease in emotional distress and no change in anxiety or depression in the general population in Europe. Overall, our findings support the importance of strong governance when implementing periodic and robust restriction measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.
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