The effect of Covid-19 on the mental health of the people in the Indian subcontinent: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: Indian subcontinent has high mental heath burden and low resoueces to cope the mental health challenges. Assessment of impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the mental mental healthwould help to prioratize the resource allocations. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people in the Indian subcontinent. Methods: We followed PRISMA guidelines and made a systematic serach in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase to identify the original studies assessing mental health conditions during Covid-19 pandemic in the Indian subcontinent. Results: A total of 34 studies carried out between 2020 and 2022 was included in this review. The prevalence of anxiety disorders varied widely starting from 2.5% among residents of urban slum in North India to 53% Bangladesh, 21.7% in Pakistan. The prevalence of depression also varied widely starting from 3.5% North India to 29.8% in Pakistan. The prevalence of stress related problem varied from 18.3% in Pakistan to 59.7% in Bangladesh. Female gender, married status, health care workers, and mental illness were the important predicotrs for anxiety and depressive disorders. Conclusion: The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health of people living in Indian subcontinent varies widely based on study population and methods.Therefore, a cautious interpretation is needed while generalizing the study results.

Editorial: Assessing and evaluating the psychosocial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on anxiety and stress: perspectives from the Indian sub-continent

“…On the other hand, countries with low- and middle-income category (LMIC) like countries in Indian Subcontinent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) struggled a much while facing the pandemic due to death, physical morbidity, services burden during the pandemic. One recent scoping review identified that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress widely varies based on the study methods, study settings, phase of the pandemic and instrument used to assess the measures ( 3 ). It found the prevalence of anxiety varied from 2.5% in North India to 53% in Bangladesh, depression varied from 3.5% in North Indian slum to 29.8% in Pakistan, and stress related symptoms varied from 18.3% in Pakistan to 59.7% in Bangladesh ( 3 ).…”

“…One recent scoping review identified that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress widely varies based on the study methods, study settings, phase of the pandemic and instrument used to assess the measures ( 3 ). It found the prevalence of anxiety varied from 2.5% in North India to 53% in Bangladesh, depression varied from 3.5% in North Indian slum to 29.8% in Pakistan, and stress related symptoms varied from 18.3% in Pakistan to 59.7% in Bangladesh ( 3 ).…”