Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42623015›Full record

ReviewCanadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie2026

Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on 144 Studies Including 406,043 Participants: Prévalence et corrélats des symptômes dépressifs au Canada pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 : revue systématique et méta-analyse de 144 études comprenant 406 043 participants.

Jude Mary Cénat, Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Moshirian Farahi, Wina Paul Darius, Malick Marc Ouattara, Salma Ben Messaoud, Zuhra Ahmadzai, Taddele Cherinet Kibret, Patrick R Labelle, Rose Darly Dalexis

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Jude Mary CénatSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3628-6904
Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Moshirian FarahiSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2144-9515
Wina Paul DariusSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9188-6705
Malick Marc OuattaraSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Salma Ben MessaoudSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Zuhra AhmadzaiSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Taddele Cherinet KibretSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Patrick R LabelleLibrary, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Rose Darly DalexisHeart Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures, including lockdowns, school closures, quarantine, and social restrictions, substantially disrupted social and economic life in Canada. These conditions intensified risk factors for depressive symptoms. However, reported prevalence estimates vary widely across studies, highlighting the need for comprehensive syntheses of evidence specific to the Canadian context. The present study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms and examine key demographic, geographic, and methodological sources of variability.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following a PROSPERO-registered protocol (CRD42024552536). Five databases were searched for studies published since 2020 assessing depressive symptoms in Canada during COVID-19. Methodological quality was evaluated using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal checklists. Random-effects meta-analyses estimated pooled prevalence, with subgroup analyses and meta-regressions.ResultsA total of 144 studies including 406,043 participants were analysed. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic was 31.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.4%-33.9%), with substantial heterogeneity (

Indexed as

CanadaCOVID-19 pandemicdepressive symptomsmeta-analysispooled prevalence

Identifiers

PMID42623015
PMCPMC13493623

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.