Anxiety impact during COVID-19: a systematic review

Introduction: The COVID-19 epidemic has been causing serious physical, but also psychological effects in society. This systematic review sought to identify studies that describe COVID-19 related anxiety, and to understand the impact of anxiety assessment in defining strategies to be implemented in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Patricia Batista, Vitor Duque, Ana Luzio-Vaz, Anabela Pereira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2021-03-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/12730
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Introduction: The COVID-19 epidemic has been causing serious physical, but also psychological effects in society. This systematic review sought to identify studies that describe COVID-19 related anxiety, and to understand the impact of anxiety assessment in defining strategies to be implemented in future studies. Methodology: This systematic review included cross-sectional studies with no publication year limit. It was performed a systematic search through three databases, namely, PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science using the descriptors “COVID-19” and “anxiety”. PRISMA criteria reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses were applied. Eligible articles were selected in accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were: research articles related with anxiety measurement during the COVID-19 outbreak; interventions to reduce anxiety; and published in English. Results: From 44 references, just four scientific articles were accepted for inclusion within this review. These studies were analyzed regarding their sample, methodology, instruments used, and its results. Conclusions: This systematic review was based on published data at the onset of the pandemic, and it could serve as a basis for the development of implementations plans to improve anxiety disorders. The importance of this theme, the implications and potential directions for future investigations will be discussed.
ISSN:1972-2680