Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41458164›Full record

ReviewJournal of public health research2025

The relationship between financial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Thomas Richardson, Samantha Ashworth, Monica Sood, Eva McKell, Nick Maguire, Nisreen A Alwan, Dianna Smith

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of public health research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

7 authors.

Thomas RichardsonSchool of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5357-4281
Samantha AshworthSchool of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK.
Monica SoodSchool of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3242-7925
Eva McKellSchool of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6219-6220
Nick MaguireSchool of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK.
Nisreen A AlwanSchool of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Dianna SmithNIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex, Southampton, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Financial difficulties are associated with poor mental health. This paper aimed to systematically review the impact of COVID-19 related financial difficulties on mental health in adults. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across Web of Science, Medline, and PsycINFO, from March 2020 to March 2023 to identify studies examining the mental health impact of COVID-19 related financial disruption in adults. We performed two meta-analyses to quantify the effect of income loss due to the pandemic on anxiety and depression. Studies were rated using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute was used. Results: A total of 2659 papers were identified of which 76 (59 cross-sectional and 17 longitudinal) met inclusion criteria. The results show that COVID-19 related financial disruption (income loss and financial stress) negatively impact mental health across a range of adult populations globally, including the general population, students, and other specific groups. The meta-analyses examined data from 278,854 participants from 15 studies indicated that those who lost income reported greater anxiety levels than those who did not experience income loss. Similarly for 268,128 participants across 16 studies, a meta-analysis showed greater depression symptoms for those experiencing income loss. Conclusion: COVID-related financial constraints, both objective and subjective, are associated with poor mental health outcomes (particularly anxiety and depression) in various populations around the world. The results highlight the need for targeted clinical interventions for those experiencing mental health problems linked to financial problems during global crises.

Indexed as

COVID-19financial difficultiesmental healthpandemic

Identifiers

PMID41458164
PMCPMC12739082

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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.