Skip to main content

Table 1 Study characteristics of included main studies

From: Mental burden and its risk and protective factors during the early phase of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: systematic review and meta-analyses

Study

Study design

Country

Sample size; female: No. (%); age: mean (SD) or alternative information on age (eg, mode)

Subgroups

Survey period

Assessed Outcomes

Instruments or scales

General Population

 Ahmad et al. (2020) [43]1

CS, OBS

Iraq (Kurdistan)

516; 222 (43%); NA (mode: 18–35 years [65.1%])

NA

NA

Anxiety and fear

Binary single itema

 Bacon et al. (2020) [44]1

CS, OBS

United Kingdom

202; 127 (62.9%), 1 diverse; 33.79 (12.48)

NA

March 18–19, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

BDI-II

 Bäuerle et al. (2020) [45]1, Teufel et al. (2020) [46]1

CS, OBS

Germany

15,037; 10,633 (70.7%), NA (mode: 25–34 years [24.8%])

NA

March 10–May 5, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7, single item 7-P LSa

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2

Psychological Distress

DT

 Buzzi et al. (2020) [47]1

CS, OBS

Italy

2064; NA; NA

100% adolescents

March 2020

Anxiety and fear

4-P LSa

 Cao et al. (2020) [48]1

CS, OBS

China

7143; 4975 (69.7%); NA

NA

NA

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

 Chang et al. (2020) [49]1

CS, OBS

China

3881; 2447 (63.1%); 20.00 (NA); P25=19.00, P75=22.00]

100% studentsb; medical students (n = 3359)

January 31, 2019–February 3, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

 Gao J et al. (2020) [50]1

CS, OBS

China

4872; 3267 (67.7%); 32.3 (10.0)

NA

January 31–February 02, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

WHO-5c

 Germani et al. (2020) [51]1

CS, OBS

Italy

1011; 720 (71.2%); 24.2 (3.6)

100% age between 18 and 29 years

March 17–24, 2020

Anxiety and fear

STAI-Y

Stress

PSS

Other Outcomes

SDQ

 González–Sanguino et al. (2020) [52]1

CS, OBS

Spain

3480; 2610 (75%); 37–92 (NA)

NA

March 21–28, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-2

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2

PTSS

PCL-C-2

Other outcomes

FACIT-Sp12, MSPSS, SCS

 Harper et al. (2020) [53]1

CS, OBS

UK

324; 162 (50%); 34–32 (11.71)

NA

March 27–28, 2020

Anxiety and fear

FCV-19S, PROMIS-SF Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

PROMIS-SF Depression

Other outcomes

WHOQOL-BREF

 Jahanshahi et al. (2020) [54]1

CS, OBS

Iran

1058; 569 (53–8%); NA (mode: 26–35 years)

NA

March 25–28, 2020

Psychological distress

CPDI

 Lauri Korajlija et al. (2020) [55]1

CS (repeated), OBS

Croatia

sample 1: 888; 738d (83–1%); 31.3 (10.45)

sample 2: 966; 732d (75.8%); 40 (11.94)

NA

1st period: February 24–NA

2nd period: March 19–NA

Anxiety and fear

11-items 5-P LS (based on Swine Flu Anxiety Items, Wheaton et al. 2012)a

 Lee SA et al. (2020) [56]1

CS, OBS

USA

398; 191 (49%); 35.91 (11.73)

NA

March 23–24, 2020

Anxiety and fear

2 single items 5-P LSa

Other outcomes

Passive suicidal ideation (single item 5-P LS)a

 Lei et al. (2020) [57]1

CS, OBS

China

1593; 976 (61.3%); 32.3 (9.8)

‘affected group’: quarantined / relatives quarantined (n = 420)b

February 04–10, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Depressive symptoms

SDS

 Li Y et al. (2020) [58]1

CS (part of longitudinal cohort study), OBS

China

1442; 891d (61.8%); NA (K-6 < 5: 20.0 [1.5]; K-6 ≥ 5: 20.0 [1.6])

medical students (n = 764), nursing students (n = 211), medical technology students (n = 467)

February 7–13, 2020

PTSS

IES-R

Psychological distress

K-6

 Liu N et al. (2020) [59]1,2

CS, OBS

China

285; 155 (54.4%); NA (47.7% < 35)

NA

January 30– February 08, 2020

PTSS

PCL-5

 Liu S et al. (2020) [60]1

CS, OBS

China

primary school: 209; 116 (56%d); NA

college: 198; 130 (62%); NA

primary school students, college students

February–March, 2020

Anxiety and fear

3 items, 4-P LSa

Other outcomes

SSS

 Lopez et al. (2020) [61]1

CS, OBS

Spain

878; 544d (62%) or 636 (72%d), data in text and Table 1 inconsistent; NA (mode: 60–70 years [71%d])

100% community-dwelling older adults;

age 60–70 (n = 626); age 71–80 (n = 252)

NA

Anxiety and fear

a

Other outcomes

BRCS, Ryff’s PWB (subscales for personal growth and purpose in life)

 Ma et al. (2020) [62]1

CS, OBS

China

123; 71d (57.7%d); 37.4 (10.6)

100% isolated peopleb

January 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

Other outcomes

SF-36

 Mazza et al. (2020) [63]1

CS, OBS

Italy

2766; 1982 (71.7%); 32.94 (13.2)

NA

March 18–22, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

 McKay et al. (2020) [64]1

CS, OBS

China

908; 752 (82.8%); 40.37 (9.27)

NA

February 24–March 15, 2020

Anxiety and fear

CoVGAD-7, DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

 Moccia et al. (2020) [65]1

CS, OBS

Italy

500; 298 (59.6); NA (mode: 28–37 years, n = 129)

NA

April 10–13, 2020

Psychological distress

K-10

Other outcomes

TEMPS-A

 Odriozola-González et al. (2020) [66]1

CS, OBS

Spain

2530; 1672 (66.1%); 27.9 (12.4)

students (n = 1944); administrative staff (n = 247); faculty members and academic staff (n = 339)b

March 28–April 3, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

PTSS

IES

 Olagoke et al. (2020) [146]1

CS, OBS

USA

501; 277 (55.29%); 32.44 (11.94)

NA

March 25, 2020–NA

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2

Other outcomes

Perceived self-efficacy (Ajzen 2002)

 Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al. (2020) [68]1

CS, OBS

Spain

976; 792 (81.1%); NA (mode: 18–25 years [56.5%])

NA

March 11–15, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

 Özdin et al. (2020) [69]1

CS, OBS

Turkey

343; 169 (49.2%); 37.2 (10.3)

NA

April 14–16, 2020

Anxiety and fear

HAI

Depressive symptoms

HADS

 Perez–Fuentes et al. (2020) [70]1

CS, OBS

Spain

1014; 681 (67.2%); 40.87 (12.42)

NA

March 18–23, 2020

Depressive symptoms

BIP-Q5

 Qiu et al. (2020) [41]1

CS, OBS

China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan

52,730; 34,131 (64.7%)

NA

January 31–February 2, 2020

Psychological distress

CPDI

 Ren et al. (2020) [71]1

CS, OBS

China

1172; NA; NA

NA

February 14–March 29, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Stress

PSS-10

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

PTSS

PCL-5

Other outcomes

MINI suicidality module

 Reznik et al. (2020) [72]1

CS, OBS

Russia & Belarus

850; 622 (73.2%); 34.8 (13.0)

NA

after March 27, 2020

Anxiety and fear

FCV-19S

 Roy et al. (2020) [73]1,2

CS, OBS

India

662; 339 (51.2%); 29.09 (8.83)

NA

March 22–24, 2020

Anxiety and fear

18 items 5-P LSa

 Sakib et al. (2020) [74]1

CS, OBS

Bangladesh

8550; 3760 (44%); 26.5 (9.1)

NA

April 1–10, 2020

Anxiety and fear

FCV-19S

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

 Satici et al. (2020) [75]1

CS, OBS

Turkey

1304; 917 (70.3%); 29.5 (10.5)

NA

NA

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety, FCV-19S

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

 Shammi et al. (2020) [76]1

CS, OBS

Bangladesh

1066; 405 (38.5%); 27.80 (10.05)

NA

March 28–30, 2020

Psychological distress

COVID-19 related mental distress (5 items 5-P LS)a

 Shevlin et al. (2020) [77]1

CS, OBS

UK

2025; 1047 (51.9%); 45.4 (15.9)

NA

March 23–28, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7, VAS on COVID-19 anxiety

Other outcomes

PHQ-15

 Soraci et al. (2020) [78]1

CS, OBS

Italy

249; 229 (92%); 34.50 (12.21)

NA

March 18–21, 2020

Anxiety and fear

FCV-19S, HADS

 Sutin et al. (2020) [147]1

CS, OBS

USA

2094; 1024 (48.9%)d; 51.03 (16.58)

overweight (n = 706); obesity (n = 587)

mid–March, 2020

Anxiety and fear

13 items 5-P LSa

 Tan W et al. (2020) [80]1

CS, OBS

China

673; 172d (25.6%d); 30.8 (7.4)

NA

February 24–252,020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

PTSS

IES-R

 Tian et al. (2020) [81]1

CS, OBS

China

1060; 511 (48.2%); 35.01 (12.8)

HCW (n = 42), students (n = 330)

January 31–February 02, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SCL-90 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

SCL-90 Depression

Psychological distress

SCL-90 GSI

Other outcomes

SCL-90 subscales

 Tsipropoulou et al. (2020) [82]1

CS, OBS

Greece

2970; 2153 (72.5%); NA (mode: 18–30 years [52%])

NA

NA

Anxiety and fear

FCV-19S, GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

 Tull et al. (2020) [79]1

CS, OBS

USA

500; 235d (47%); 40 (11.6)

NA

March 27–April 5, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety, SHAI

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

 Voitsidis et al. (2020) [83]1

CS, OBS

Greece

2363; 1800 (76.2%); NA (mode: 18–30 years [55%])

NA

April 10–13, 2020

Anxiety and fear

a

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2

Sleep-related symptoms

AIS

Other outcomes

IUS-12, JGLS

 Wang C et al. (2020a) [84]1,2, Wang C et al. (2020b) [85]1

2 CS (repeated), OBS

China

1738 not counting participants in both surveys; 333 in both

1st survey: 1210; 814d or 878d (67.3%); NA (mode: 21.4–30.8 years [53.1%])

2nd survey: 861; 646d (75%); NA (mode: 21.4–30.8 years [46.5%])

NA

January 31–February 2, 2020 and February 28–March 1, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 Anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 Depression

Stress

DASS-21 Stress

PTSS

IES-R

 Wang H et al. (2020) [86]1

CS, OBS

China

1599; 1068 (66.8%); 33.9 (12.3)

NA

February 1–4, 2020

Psychological distress

K-6

 Wang Y et al. (2020) [87]1,2

CS, OBS

China

600; 333 (55.5%); 34 (12)

NA

February 6–9, 2020

Anxiety

SAS

Depressive symptoms

SDS

 Yang H et al. (2020) [88]1

CS (repeated), OBS

China

during COVID-19: 3000; 1500d (50%); 34.7 (NA)

NA

end of December 2019 and mid–February, 2020

Other outcomes

Emotional well-being (Kahneman and Deaton, 2010)

 Yuan R et al. (2020) [89]1

CS, OBS

China

parents of children hospitalised during the epidemic (EH): 50; 31 (62%d); 36.80 (5.20) parents of children hospitalised during the non-epidemic period (NEH): 50; 26 (52%d); 37.22 (5.40)

EH (n = 50)b, NEH (n = 50)b

NA

Anxiety

HADS Anxiety, VDAS

Depressive symptoms

HADS Depression

Other Outcomes

SF-36

 Zhang SX et al. (2020a) [90]1; Zhang SX et al. (2020b) [91]1

CS, OBS

China

369; 165 (44.7%); 36.6 (10.5)

NA

February 20–21, 2020

Psychological Distress

K6

Other outcomes

SF12, SWLS

 Zhang Y et al. (2020) [92]1,2

CS, OBS

China

263; 157 (60%); 37.7 (14.0)

NA

January 28–February 05, 2020

PTSS

IES

 Zhou SJ et al. (2020) [93]1

CS, OBS

China

8079; 4326 (53.5%); NA (median: 16, minimum 12, maximum 18 years)

100% senior high school studentsb

March 8–15, 2020

Anxiety

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Healthcare workers

 Abdessater et al. (2020) [94]1

CS, OBS

France

275; 91d (33%) or 83d (30%), ambiguous data; 29.5 (0.47)

100% urologists

March 27–30, 2020

Stress

a

 Ahmed et al. (2020) [95]1

CS, OBS

multinational (Pakistan > Saudi Arabia > others)

650; 490 (75%); NA (mode: 20–30 years [54%])

100% dentists

March 10–17, 2020

Anxiety

8 binary itemsa

 Alhaj et al. (2020) [96]1

CS, OBS

multinational (Canada, USA, others)

52; 14 (27%); NA (mode: < 30 years [69%])

100% surgeons

April 14–28, 2020

Psychological distress

Affection of mental health (binary single item)a

 Amerio et al. (2020) [97]1

CS, OBS

Italy

131; 63 (48.1%); 52.3 (12.2)

100% physicians (general practitioners)

March 15–April 15, 2020

Anxiety

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

Other outcomes

SF-12

 Badahdah et al. (2020) [98]1

CS, OBS

Oman

194; 116d (60%); 40.72 (8.53)

100% physicians

early April 2020

Anxiety

GAD-7

Stress

PSS-10

Other outcomes

WHO-5c

 Bohlken et al. (2020) [99]1

CS, OBS

Germany

396; NA; 165 (42%); 56.9 (7.6)

100% physicians

April 1–6, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Single items 5-P LSa

Sleep disorders

Single item 5-P LSa

 Cai H et al. (2020) [100]1,2

CS, OBS

China

534; 367 (69%); 36.4 (16.18)

physicians (n = 233), nurses (n = 248)

January–March, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Single items 4-P LSa

 Cai W et al. (2020) [101]1

CS, OBS

China

whole sample:

1521; 1149 (75.5%d); NA (mode: 18–30 years, [43.5%])

physicians (n = 511), nurses (n = 546)

NA

Anxiety and fear

SCL-90 anxiety

Depressive symptoms

SCL-90 depression

Psychological distress

SCL-90 positive items

Other outcomes

SCL-90 subscales, CD-RISC, SSRS

 Chew et al. (2020) [102]1

CS, OBS

multinational (Singapore, India)

906; 583 (64.3%); NA (median [IQR]: 29 [25–35] years)

physicians (n = 268), nurses (n = 355), allied healthcare professionals (n = 96), non-HCW (n = 187)

February 19–April 17, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 depression

Stress

DASS-21 stress

Sleep-related symptoms

Single item 4-P LSa

PTSS

IES-R

 Consolo et al. (2020) [103]1

CS, OBS

Italy

356; 141 (39.6%); NA (mode: 35–55 years [48.6%])

100% dentists

April 2–21, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

 Gan et al. (2020) [104]1

CS, OBS

China

11,183; 10,811 (96.7%); NA (mode: 20–29 years)

100% nurses

February 4–10, 2020

Anxiety and fear

VAS on anxiety

Stress

VAS on stress

 Huang JZ et al. (2020) [105]1,2

CS, OBS

China

230; 187 (81.3%); NA (mode: 30–39 years [53%])

physicians (n = 70), nurses (n = 160)

February 7–14, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

PTSS

PTSD-SS

 Kang et al. (2020) [106]1,2

CS, OBS

China

994; 850 (85.5%); NA (mode: 30–40 years [63.4%])

physicians (n = 183), nurses (n = 811)

January 29–February 4, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7e

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9e

Sleep-related symptoms

ISIe

PTSS

IES-Re

 Khusid et al. (2020) [107]1

CS, OBS

USA

332; 117 (35%); 30.5 (2.6)

100% urologists

April 7–11, 2020

Anxiety and fear

2 items 5-P LSa

Depressive symptoms

2 items 5-P LSa

 Lai et al. (2020) [18]1,2

CS, OBS

China

1257; 964 (76.7%); NA (mode: 26–40 years [64.7%])

physicians (n = 493), nurses (n = 764)

January 29–February 3, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

PTSS

IES

 Mo et al. (2020) [108]1,2

CS, OBS

China

180; 162 (90%); 32.71 (6.52)

NA

end of February 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Stress

SOS

 Pu et al. (2020) [109]1

CS, OBS

China

867: 829 (95.6%d); 30.8 (7.1)

100% nurses

NA

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Other outcomes

TAF

 Rossi et al. (2020) [110]1

CS, OBS

Italy

1379; 1064 (77.2%); 39.0 (6.0)

physicians (n = 433), general practitioners (n = 86), nurses (n = 472)

March 27–31, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Stress

PSS

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

PTSS

GPS–PTSD

 Sahu et al. (2020) [111]1

CS, OBS

India

611; NA; NA (mode: 30–40 years, n = 192 [31·4%])

100% orthopedic surgeons

March 31–April 4, 2020

Stress

Single-itema

 Shacham et al. (2020) [112]1

CS, OBS

Israel

338; 198 (586%); 46.39 (11.2)

dentists (n = 198), dental hygienists (n = 140d)

March 30–April 10, 2020

Psychological distress

K-6

 Suleiman et al. (2020) [113]1

CS, OBS

Jordan

308; 113 (36.7%); 30.3 (5.8)

100% physicians

March 23–27, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Binary single itemsa

 Tan B et al. (2020) [114]1

CS, OBS

Singapore

470; 321 (68.3%); NA (median: 31, IQR: 28–36 years)

physicians (n = 135), nurses (n = 161), allied hospital personnel (n = 174)

February 19–March 13, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 depression

Stress

DASS-21 stress

PTSS

IES-R

 Wang S et al. (2020) [115]1

CS, OBS

China

123; 111 (90%); 33.75 (8.41)

100% pediatricians;

physicians (n = 48), nurses (n = 75)

January 30–February 07, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Depressive symptoms

SDS

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

 Wu K et al. (2020) [116]1

CS, OBS, controlled

China

experimental group: 60; 44 (73%); 33.5 (12.4)

comparison group: 60; 45 (75%) 33.8 (11.9)

COVID-19 hospital (n = 60), non-designated hospital = comparison group (n = 60)

NA

Anxiety and fear

SAS, SCL-90 anxiety

Depressive symptoms

SCL-90 depression, SDS

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

PTSS

PCL-C

Psychological distress

SCL-90 total score

Other outcomes

SCL-90 subscales

 Xiao et al. (2020a) [117]1,2

CS, OBS

China

180; 129 (71.7%); 32.31 (4.88)

physicians (n = 82), nurses (n = 98)

January–February, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

Other outcomes

GSES, SASR, SSRS

 Xu J et al. (2020) [118]1

CS, OBS, controlled

China

outbreak period: 60; 38 (63.3%); 36.68 (9.67)

‘post-epidemic’: 60; 32 (53.3%); 35.77 (7.06)

100% surgeons

January 28–February 29, 2020 and March 2–21, 2020

Anxiety and fear

‘Anxiety scale’, dream anxiety score

Depressive symptoms

‘Depression score’

Other outcomes

SF-36

 Yin et al. (2020) [119]1

CS, OBS

China

371; 228 (61.5%); 35.3 (9.5)

physicians: NA

nurses: NA

physicians (n = 67), nurses (n = 264)

February 01–05, 2020

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

PTSS

PCL-5

 Zhang C et al. (2020) [120]1

CS, OBS

China

1563; 1293 (83%d); NA (mode: 26–40 years, n = 495 [31.7%d])

physicians: NA

nurses: NA

physicians (n = 454), nurses (n = 984), administrative staff (n = 30), other medical staff (n = 95)

January 29–February 03, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

PTSS

IES-R

 Zhang SX et al. (2020c) [121]1

CS, OBS

Iran

304; 178 (58.6%); 35.1 (9.1)

NA

April 5–20, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-2d

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2d

Psychological distress

K6

Other outcomes

SF-12

 Zhu J et al. (2020) [122]1

CS, OBS

China

156; 137 (83%); 34.16 (8.06)

physicians: 79; 51d (65%d)

physicians (n = 79), nurses (n = 86)

February 1–29, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Depressive symptoms

SDS

Patients

 Cai X et al. (2020) [123]1, Yuan B et al. (2020) [124]1

CS, OBS

China

126; 66 (52.4%); 45.7 (14.0)

100% cured COVID-19 patients

March 2–12, 2020

Anxiety and fear

SAS

Depressive symptoms

SDS

PTSS

PTSD-SS

 Durankus et al. (2020) [125]1

CS, OBS

Turkey

260; 260 (100%); 29.6 (3.8)

100% pregnant women

NA

Anxiety and fear

BAI

Depressive symptoms

EPDS, BDI

Psychological distress

Single item 11-P LSa

 Li X et al. (2020) [126]1

CS, OBS

China

76; 35 (46%); 36 (15)

suspected COVID-19 patients

January 31–February 22, 2020

Anxiety and fear

HAMA

Depressive symptoms

HAMD

 Liu X et al. (2020a) [42]1

CS, OBS

China

COVID-19 suspected patients:

21; 12 (57.1%); 43.1 (2.6):

not COVID-19 suspected patients: 30; 15 (50%); 45.0 (9.2)

100% schizophrenia patients; COVID-19 suspected patients (n = 21), not COVID-19 suspected patients (n = 30)

January 30–February 21, 2020

Anxiety and fear

HAMA

Depressive symptoms

HAMD

Stress

PSS

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

Other outcomes

PANSS

 Wu Y et al. (2020) [127]1,3

CS, OBS, controlled

China

4124; 4124 (100%d), NA (median: 30, range = 17–32 years)

100% pregnant women;

before (group 1: n = 2839)/after (group 2: n = 1284) January 20, 2020

January 1–February 9, 2020

Anxiety and fear

EPDS-3A

Depressive symptoms

EPDS

 Xu H et al. (2020) [128]1

CS, OBS

China

350; 199 (54.1%); NA (mode: 40–60 years [51%])

100% lung cancer patients

March 4–6, 2020

Depressive symptoms

Single itema

Sleep-related symptoms

Single itema

 Yassa et al. (2020) [129]1

CS, OBS

Turkey

172; 172 (100%); 27.5 (5.3)

100% pregnant women

ten days after first confirmed COVID-19 death in Turkey

Anxiety and fear

Single ternary itema

Mixed groups

 Büntzel et al. (2020) [130]1

CS, OBS

Germany

193; NA; NA (mode: > 60 years)

physicians (n = 47), cancer patients (n = 146)

April 16–19, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Single itema

Stress

Single itema

 Guo et al. (2020) [131]1

CS, OBS, controlled

China

P:103; 44 (42.7%); 42.5 (12.5);

control (GP): 103; 49 (47.6%); 41.5 (13.1)

COVID-19 patients (n = 103), not infected control group (n = 103)

February 10–28, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Stress

PSS-10

PTSS

PCL-5

 Hao F et al. (2020) [132]1

CS, OBS, controlled

China

P: 76; 51 (37.1%); 32.8 (11.8);

control (GP): 109; 68 (62.4%); 33.1 (11.2)

psychiatric patients (n = 76), control group (n = 109)

February 19–22, 2020

Anxiety and fear

DASS-21 anxiety

Depressive symptoms

DASS-21 depression

Stress

DASS-21 stress

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

PTSS

IES-R

 Hao X et al. (2020) [133]1

CS, OBS, controlled

China

P: 252; 132d (52.4%d); 29.3 (11.6);

control (GP): 252; 132d (52.4%d); 29.4 (11.5)

epilepsy patients (n = 252), control group (n = 252)

February 1–29, 2020

Psychological distress

K-6

 Huang Y et al. (2020) [134]1,2

CS, OBS

China

7236; 3952 (54.6%); 35.3 (5.6)

GP (n = 4986), HCW (n = 2250)

February 3–17, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

CES-D

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

 Iasevoli et al. (2020) [135]1

CS, OBS, controlled

Italy

461; NA; NA

P: 205; NA; NA

caregivers: 51; NA; NA

control (GP): 205; NA; NA

psychiatric patients (n = 205), caregivers (n = 51), non-psychiatric persons (n = 205)

April 13–17, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Stress

PSS

Other outcomes

SPEQ

 Jin YH et al. (2020) [136]1

CS, OBS

China

103; 64 (62.1%); NA (median [IQR]: 35 [14.0])

100% infected with SARS-CoV-2; physicians, nurses

February 15–29, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Single item multiple choicea

 Ko et al. (2020) [137]1

CS, OBS

Taiwan

1904; 1282 (67.3%); 38.0 (10.8)

GP (n = NA), HCW (n = NA)

April 10–20, 2020

Other outcomes

Psychological wellbeing (single item 5-P LS)a

 Li Z et al. (2020) [138]1,2

CS, OBS

China

740; 128 (59.8%); 25 (IQR: 22–38.3 years]

GP (n = 214), HCW (n = 526)

February 17–21, 2020

PTSS

Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire

 Lu W et al. (2020) [139]1,2

CS, OBS

China

2299; 1785 (77.6%); NA (78% < 40 years)

HCW (n = 2042), GP (n = 257)

February 25.26, 2020

Anxiety and fear

HAMA, NRS on fear

Depressive symptoms

HAMD

 Ni et al. (2020) [140]1

CS, OBS

China

total: 1791; NA; NA

GP: 1577; 1218 d (60.8%); NA (mode: 18–34 years [38.6%])

HCW: 214; 147d (68.8%); NA (mode: 18–34 years [58.9%])

GP (n = 1577), HCW (n = 214)

February 18.24, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-2

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2

 Sanchez et al. (2020) [67]1

CS, OBS

USA

1051; 0 (0%); 35 (15.83)

100% men who have sex with men; HIV-patients (n = 122)

April 2–13, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Single itema

Other outcomes

Quality of life (single item)a

 Wu W et al. (2020) [141]1

CS, OBS

China

4268; 2930d (68.7%d); NA

HCW: 2110; 1598d (76%d); NA

Students: 2158; 1332 (62%); NA

students (n = 2158), HCW (n = 2110)

February 10–21, 2020

Anxiety and fear

Single itema

Sleep-related symptoms

Single itema

 Yuan S et al. (2020) [142]1,2

L, OBS

China

939; 582 (61.98%); NA (mode: 18–39 years [71.5%])

HCW (n = 249), students (n = 312)

2 survey periods in February, 2020

Sleep-related symptoms

PSQI

Other outcomes

SRQ

 Zhang J et al. (2020) [143]1

CS, OBS

China

205; 115 (56.1%d); NA (for infected: 46.9 [15.4]; for quarantined: 36.2 [10.9]; for general public: 29.6 [12.7])

P, infected (n = 57),

GP, quarantined (n = 50),

GP, general public (n = 98)

February 15–29, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

 Zhang WR et al. (2020) [144]1,2

CS, OBS

China

2182; 1401 (64.2%); NA (mode: 18–60 years [96.3%])

HCW (n = 927), GP (n = 1255)

February 19–March 6, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-2

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-2

Sleep-related symptoms

ISI

Other outcomes

SCL-90-R subscales

 Zhu S et al. (2020) [145]1

CS, OBS

China

2279d; 1361 d; NA

HCW (n = 858), GP (n = 1421)

Feb 12–Mar 17, 2020

Anxiety and fear

GAD-7

Depressive symptoms

PHQ-9

Psychological distress

SRQ-20

  1. Abbreviations: AIS Athens Insomnia Scale, BAI Beck Anxiety Inventory, BDI Beck Depression Inventory, BDI(−II) Beck Depression Inventory(−II), BIP-Q5 Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire 5, BRCS Brief Resilience Coping Scale, CD-RISC Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, CES-D Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CoVGAD-7 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 for COVID-19 Anxiety, CPDI CoViD-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index, CS cross-sectional, DASS-21 Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, DT Distress Thermometer, EPDS Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS-3A Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale, FACIT-Sp12 Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale, FCV-19S Fear of COVID-19 scale, GAD-2(−7) Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2(/−7), GP general population, GPS-PTSD Global Psychotrauma Scale-posttraumatic stress disorder subscale, GSES General Self-Efficacy Scale, GSI Global Severity Index, HADS Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HAI Health Anxiety Inventory, HAMA Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, HAMD Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HCW healthcare workers, IES Impact of Event Scale, IES-R Impact of Event Scale-Revised, IQR interquartile range, ISI Insomnia Severity Index, IUS-12 Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Short Form, JGLS De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, K-6(/− 10) Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-6(/− 10), L longitudinal, MINI Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, MSPSS Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, NA not available, NRS Numeric Rating Scale, OBS observational, P patients, PANSS Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, PCL-5(−C) Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5(/−Civilian Version), PHQ-2(/−4/−9/− 15) Patient Health Questionnaire-2(/−4/−9/− 15), PROMIS-SFs Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System short forms, PSQI Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSS(− 10) Perceived Stress Scale(− 10), PTSD-SS Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Self-rating Scale, PTSS post-traumatic stress symptoms, Ryff’s PWB Ryff’s Psychological Wellbeing Scales, SAS Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, SASR Stanford Acute Stress Reaction, SCL-90 Symptom Checklist-90, SCS Self-Compassion Scale, SD standard deviation, SDQ Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDS Self-Rating Depression Scale, SF-12(/−36) Short Form 12 Health Survey, SHAI Short Health Anxiety Inventory, SOS Stress Overload Scale, SPEQ Specific Psychotic Experience Questionnaire, SRQ Stress Response Questionnaire, SRQ-20 20-item Self-Report Questionnaire, SSRS Social Support Rating Scale, SSS Somatic Symptom Scale, STAI-Y State Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y, SWLS Satisfaction With Life Scale, TAF Triage Assessment Form, TEMPS-A Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Anxious, VAS Visual Analogue Scale, VDAS Van Dream Anxiety Scale, WHO-5 World Health Organization- Five Well-Being Index, WHOQOL-BREF abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life, 4−/5−/7−/11-P LS 4−/5−/6−/11-point Likert-scale
  2. a developed by study authors
  3. b included in main analyses for general population but considered separately in subgroup-analyses
  4. c in Gao J et al. WHO-5 is used to assess depressive symptoms, in Badahdah et al. it is used to assess psychological distress
  5. d not directly reported
  6. e k-means-clustering method for the 4 tools summarized to ‘mental health’