SynthesisActa obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica2024
Global prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review and meta-analytic synthesis.
Synthesis in Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cost Effectiveness of Interventions for Perinatal Anxiety and/or Depression: A Systematic Review of Global Evidence.Applied health economics and health policy · 2026Pooled it
- Physical activity modalities and dosing for postpartum depression, anxiety and quality of life: a network meta-analysis and dose response of randomized trials.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence of perinatal depression in Ethiopia: An umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis studies.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Prenatal psychological distress and neurodevelopmental trajectories in the first 3 years: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Risk factors for postpartum depression: an umbrella review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Global prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review and meta-analytic synthesis.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2024Pooled it
- The Impact of Covid-19 on Women's Mental Health and Wellbeing During Pregnancy and the Perinatal Period: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, and Child Socioemotional Problems Over the First Three Years of Life.Child maltreatment · 2026Article
- Pediatricians' knowledge, attitudes, and experience toward peripartum depression: the findings from Turkey.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Mental health in early pregnancy: Interplay of objectively measured lifestyles, gut microbiota, and metabolomics.iScience · 2026Article
- In Search of a Global Distress Measurement Instrument for Perinatal Use: Testing Depression Anxiety Stress Scales Short Forms with Swedish Pregnant and Postpartum Women.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Cost-effectiveness of virtual Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on pregnancies at high risk of perinatal depression.Pregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Prevalence, risk and protective factors of postpartum depression and anxiety symptoms in the Allada district, Benin.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on women's mental health and coping during pregnancy and postpartum.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Postpartum depression literacy among economically disadvantaged Indian working women: roles of health literacy and social determinants.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- Emergency Department Utilization by Women of Reproductive Age for Mental Illness in St. Louis Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Perceived health and postpartum depression among perinatal women: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Socioeconomic deprivation and maternal mental health in developing countries: a multicenter study of postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Neuroplacentology of stress: Novel frontiers linking maternal mental health to offspring neurodevelopment.Neurobiology of stress · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic was assessed by several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses which provided contrasting and different results. We aimed to summarize the evidence relating to the global prevalence of anxiety and depression among pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND
methodsAn umbrella review of SRs and meta-analyses was performed. Searches were conducted in electronic databases up to April 2023. SRs and meta-analyses reporting the prevalence of perinatal anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic were selected for eligibility. Primary studies extracted from eligible meta-analyses were included in the quantitative synthesis. The research protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020173125).
resultsA total of 25 SRs (198 primary studies) and 12 meta-analyses (129 primary studies) were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis, respectively. Studies involved data from five continents and 45 countries. The pooled prevalence of antenatal and postpartum depression was 29% (n = 55; 95% CI: 25%-33%) and 26% (n = 54; 95% CI: 23%-30%), respectively. In the case of anxiety, the pooled antenatal and postnatal prevalence was 31% (n = 44; 95% CI: 26%-37%; n = 16; 95% CI: 24%-39%). Differences emerged between continents, with Africa having the highest prevalence of perinatal depression and Oceania and Europe having the highest prevalence of antenatal and postnatal anxiety. The prevalence also varied depending on the assessment tools, especially for antenatal anxiety. A medium-high quality of the studies was observed. One SR assessed strength-of-evidence, reporting very low strength.
conclusionsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety were common, affecting almost one in three perinatal women globally. A high heterogeneity and a risk of publication bias were found, partially due to the variety of assessment tools and cut-offs. The results may not be generalized to minorities. Studies on the prevalence of clinical diagnoses are needed. Based on our results it is not possible to firmly affirm that the COVID-19 pandemic was the main factor that directly increased perinatal depression and anxiety during the past few years. Future studies should study other factors' impact.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.