COVID-19 and Psychological Distress among the General Population of India: Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

BACKGROUND

There is scanty evidence regarding the magnitude of COVID-19-related psychological distress (PD) among the general population of India.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of PD among the general public of India during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis of 21 online surveys conducted across the Indian subcontinent and published between 2020 and 2021.

RESULTS

Overall estimates of PD among the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic by the random-effects model is 33.3% (95% confidence interval: 23.8%-42.8%; = 21 studies). The level of heterogeneity was high among the included studies (I2 = 99.67%). In subgroup analysis, it was found that the survey tool and the methodological quality had a significant effect on the overall prevalence estimates. Approximately 33% of the general public reported to have PD during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, although the overall prevalence varied based on survey tools and quality of studies.

CONCLUSION

As the pandemic crisis seems to be ebbing across the world, the current findings are a wake-up call to devise pragmatic strategies to curtail the burden of similar pandemics and to successfully meet the challenges ahead.