Depression Prevalence of Healthcare Workers During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Affecting Variables: A Meta-Analysis

Authors : Emel Kaya, Tuğba Öztürk Yildirim

Pages : 477-487

Doi:10.31067/acusaglik.1181891

View : 44 | Download : 29

Publication Date : 2023-07-10

Article Type : Research Article

Abstract :Purpose: This meta-analysis aimed to systematically review the affecting variables regarding the prevalence of depression in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: MedLine, PubMed, Web of Science (Wos), and GoogleScholar databases were searched until June 19, 2020. The quality of studies included was evaluated with The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 3.0. The pooled prevalence of depression was interpreted according to the random-effects model. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated with Cochran\'s Q test and I2 statistics. Results: A meta-analysis of depression prevalence in healthcare workers was carried out with 8 studies. Studies with high-quality assessments were analyzed. In this study, which was conducted with a total of 9,841 healthcare workers, the overall depression rate was 40.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 33.5-48.6; I2=96.48%). In the subgroup analysis to determine the influencing variables, the rate of depression in female healthcare workers was 24.5% (95% CI: 17.4–33.3) and the rate of depression in male healthcare workers was 8.5% (95% CI: 5.5–12.7). In addition, the depression rate was 43.6% (95% CI: 35.9–51.7) in studies conducted in China and 18.5% (95% CI: 7.5–38.7) in a study conducted in Korea. No statistically significant difference was found as a result of the subgroup analysis in terms of profession, the measurement tool and the period of time (p>0.05). Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides evidence that 4 out of 10 healthcare workers experience depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, with country and gender as the most influencing variable, respectively.
Keywords : COVID-19, depression, healthcare workers, meta-analysis, prevalence