Meta-analysis of prevalence: the psychological sequelae among COVID-19 survivors

Abstract

Objective This meta-analysis aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of mental disorders among COVID-19 survivors. Methods The databases Pubmed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and medRxiv have been searched up to 1 August 2021 using COVID-19, survivors, mental disorders, and their related MeSH terms. The included studies were either cross-sectional, cohort, or case–control in design. Those studies included COVID-19 survivors after 14 or more days from their COVID-19 recovery and used validated questionnaires to assess their mental health outcomes. The random-effects model was used to pool the data from the incorporated studies. The heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s Q heterogeneity test and I 2 statistic. Results Twenty-seven studies were included in the data synthesis with a total sample size of 9605 COVID-19 survivors. The prevalence rates for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, psychological distress, depression, and sleeping disorders were 20% (95% CI = 16–24%), 22% (95% CI = 18–27%), 36% (95% CI = 22–51%), 21% (95% CI = 16–28%), and 35% (95% CI = 29–41%), respectively. Conclusions Although we found high heterogeneity across the included studies, our meta-analysis provides evidence that there are psychological sequelae in COVID-19 survivors that require medical assiduity as well as further research on the matter. KEY POINTS Increased prevalence of psychological sequelae among COVID-19 survivors. The prevalence of PTSD was 20% (95% CI = 16–24%) and of anxiety was 22% (95% CI = 18–27%) among COVID-19 survivors. The prevalence of psychological distress was 36% (95% CI = 22–51%), of depression was 21% (95% CI = 16–28%), and of sleep disorders was 35% (95% CI = 29–41%) among COVID-19 survivors. Future researches are recommended to search for effective and safe methods to mitigate the psychological sequelae in COVID-19 patients.