The mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with depressive, anxiety, and stressor-related disorders: A scoping review.

Objective: A scoping review of studies published in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic focused on individuals with pre-existing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and specified stressor-related disorders, with the objective of mapping the research conducted.

Eligibility Criteria: (1) direct study of individuals with pre-existing depressive, anxiety, and/or specified stressor-related (i.e., posttraumatic stress, acute stress) disorders/issues; (2) focus on mental health-related pandemic effects, and; (3) direct study of mental health symptoms related to depression, anxiety, or psychological distress.

Sources Of Evidence: Database-specific subject headings and natural language keywords were searched in Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) up to March 3, 2021. Review of potentially relevant studies was conducted by two independent reviewers and proceeded in two stages: (1) title and abstract review, and; (2) full paper review.

Data Charting: Study details (i.e., location, design and methodology, sample or population, outcome measures, and key findings) were extracted from included studies by one reviewer and confirmed by the Principal Investigator.

Results: 66 relevant articles from 26 countries were identified. Most studies adopted a cross-sectional design and were conducted via online survey. About half relied on general population samples, with the remainder assessing special populations, primarily mental health patients. The most commonly reported pre-existing category of disorders or symptoms was depression, followed closely by anxiety. Most studies included depressive and anxiety symptoms as outcome measures and demonstrated increased vulnerability to mental health symptoms among individuals with a pre-existing mental health issue.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that improved mental health supports are needed during the pandemic and point to future research needs, including reviews of other diagnostic categories and reviews of research published in subsequent years of the pandemic.