Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 8, 2021

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Cohort Studies Comparing Mental Health before versus during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies (n = 56) comparing mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that there was an overall increase in mental health symptoms that was most pronounced in March-April 2020 (standardized mean change (SMC) = .102) before significantly declining over time (May-July SMC = .067). Mental health symptoms were comparable to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2020 among most population sub-groups and symptom types. Increases in depression and mood disorder symptoms tended to be larger (SMC = 0.22) than those for anxiety and general mental health. The majority of studies sampled European (n=31) or North American (n=16) populations.

Robinson et al. (Mar 8, 2021). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Cohort Studies Comparing Mental Health before versus during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pre-print downloaded Mar 8 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.04.21252921