Prevalence of anxiety and depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract Background COVID-19 has become a global pandemic. Its occurrence has substantially affected the psychological condition of pregnant women. The purpose of this study is to learn about the incidence of anxiety and depression among pregnant women during the pandemic, and to conduct a meta-analysis of the existing research.Methods PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched without a lower time limit and up to August 13, 2020. The incidences of anxiety and depression among pregnant women were synthesized and discussed.Results The prevalence of anxiety in 8 studies with a total sample size of 7493 individuals was 43% (95% confidence interval: 0.28-0.58), and the prevalence of depression in 7 studies with a sample size of 6116 people was 32% (95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.37). Significant heterogeneity was detected across studies of these incidence estimates. Subgroup analysis included the economic status to explore the sources of heterogeneity, and Egger’s test was conducted to examine the publication bias.Conclusions Since significant heterogeneity has been detected in studies of anxiety and depression, we must interpret the results with caution. As the COVID-19 pandemic will not end in a short time, corresponding psychological interventions must be implemented to address the mental health of pregnant women.