Mental health outcomes of quarantine and isolation for infection prevention: A systematic umbrella review of the global evidence

Abstract

Background: Transmission of infectious diseases is often prevented by quarantine and isolation of the populations at risk. These approaches restrict the mobility, social interactions, and daily activities of the affected individuals. In recent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, quarantine and isolation are being adopted in many contexts, which necessitates an evaluation of global evidence on how such measures impact the mental health outcomes among populations. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on mental health outcomes of quarantine and isolation for preventing infectious diseases.Materials and methods: We searched nine major databases and additional sources and included articles if they were systematically conducted reviews, published as peer-reviewed journal articles, and reported mental health outcomes of quarantine or isolation in any population.Results: Among 1364 citations, only eight reviews met our criteria. Most of the primary studies in those reviews were conducted in high-income nations and in hospital settings. These articles reported a high burden of mental health problems among patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare providers who experienced quarantine or isolation. Prevalent mental health problems among the affected individuals include depression, anxiety, mood disorders, psychological distress, posttraumatic stress disorder, insomnia, fear, stigmatization, low self-esteem, lack of self-control, and other adverse mental health outcomes.Conclusion: This umbrella review found severe mental health problems among individuals and populations who have undergone quarantine and isolation in different contexts. This evidence necessitates multipronged interventions including policy measures for strengthening mental health services globally and promoting psychosocial wellbeing among high-risk populations.

Being a Psychotherapist in Times of the Novel Coronavirus Disease: Stress-Level, Job Anxiety, and Fear of Coronavirus Disease Infection in More Than 1,500 Psychotherapists in Austria

“…Previous research suggested that emotional stressors and existential stressors due to financial concerns range among the major stressors’ psychotherapists are exposed to ( Petrowski et al, 2014 ; Puig et al, 2014 ). The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the measures necessary to fight it (i.e., quarantine, isolation, and social distancing; see Nussbaumer-Streit et al, 2020 ) are new stressors, which can increase and even cause public mental health problems ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Hossain et al, 2020 ; Sharma et al, 2020 ). Mental health care is, therefore, essential during and after COVID-19 ( Fiorillo and Gorwood, 2020 ; Pfefferbaum and North, 2020 ; Xiang et al, 2020 ).…”

Epidemiology of sleep disorders during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic scoping review

“…Historically quarantine has been related to anxiety, depression, panic, irritability, somatic disorder, and insomnia [6][7][8] . Moreover, a high level of stress and trauma-related disorders are byproducts of being isolated 5,9,10 .…”

“…However, to the best of our knowledge, there is a scarcity of concrete evidence on the magnitude of sleep disorders among individuals affected by this pandemic. As there is a growing concern on mental health problems during research synthesis may play a critical role in understanding the burden of those problems addressing the same 6,19 . This scoping review aims to address this knowledge gap through systematically evaluating the current evidence on the epidemiological burden of sleep disorders, associated factors, and interventions addressing the problems.…”

Impact of rumors or misinformation on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in social media

“…It is understandable that people living in quarantine, isolation, or at risk of infectious disease outbreak are likely to experience psychosocial stress and adverse health outcomes, which may evoke interests in learning more about the disease 7 . However, such situations require assurance complemented by flow of correct information.…”