Faculty of Professions, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA5005, Australia.
Office of Research, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV89102, USA.
Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2022 Apr 19;31:e23. doi: 10.1017/S2045796021000767.
There is a lack of evidence related to the prevalence of mental health symptoms as well as their heterogeneities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Latin America, a large area spanning the equator. The current study aims to provide meta-analytical evidence on mental health symptoms during COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, the general population and university students in Latin America.
Bibliographical databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and medRxiv, were systematically searched to identify pertinent studies up to August 13, 2021. Two coders performed the screening using predefined eligibility criteria. Studies were assigned quality scores using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The double data extraction method was used to minimise data entry errors.
A total of 62 studies with 196 950 participants in Latin America were identified. The pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, distress and insomnia was 35%, 35%, 32% and 35%, respectively. There was a higher prevalence of mental health symptoms in South America compared to Central America (36% v. 28%, p < 0.001), in countries speaking Portuguese (40%) v. Spanish (30%). The pooled prevalence of mental health symptoms in the general population, general healthcare workers, frontline healthcare workers and students in Latin America was 37%, 34%, 33% and 45%, respectively.
The high yet heterogenous level of prevalence of mental health symptoms emphasises the need for appropriate identification of psychological interventions in Latin America.
在涵盖赤道地区的广大拉丁美洲，针对 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间心理健康症状的流行情况及其异质性，相关证据较为缺乏。本研究旨在提供拉丁美洲一线医护人员、一般医护人员、普通人群和大学生 COVID-19 期间心理健康症状的荟萃分析证据。
系统检索了 PubMed、Embase、Web of Science、PsycINFO 和 medRxiv 等文献数据库，以确定截至 2021 年 8 月 13 日的相关研究。两名编码员使用预设的纳入标准进行筛选。使用混合方法评估工具对研究进行质量评分。采用双数据提取方法以尽量减少数据录入错误。
共确定了 62 项拉丁美洲研究，涉及 196950 名参与者。焦虑、抑郁、痛苦和失眠的总患病率分别为 35%、35%、32%和 35%。与中美洲相比，南美洲的心理健康症状患病率更高（36%比 28%，p<0.001），讲葡萄牙语的国家（40%）比讲西班牙语的国家（30%）更高。拉丁美洲普通人群、一般医护人员、一线医护人员和学生的心理健康症状总患病率分别为 37%、34%、33%和 45%。
心理健康症状的高患病率且存在异质性，这强调了在拉丁美洲需要适当识别心理干预措施的必要性。
