COVID-19 and psychological distress among the general population of India: Meta-Analysis of observational studies

Background: There is scanty evidence regarding the magnitude of COVID-19-related psychological distress (PD) among the general population of India. Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of PD among the general public of India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of 21 online surveys conducted across the Indian subcontinent and published between 2020 and 2021. Results: Overall estimates of PD among the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic by the random-effects model is 33.3% (95% confidence interval: 23.8%-42.8%; n = 21 studies). The level of heterogeneity was high among the included studies (I2 = 99.67%). In subgroup analysis, it was found that the survey tool and the methodological quality had a significant effect on the overall prevalence estimates. Approximately 33% of the general public reported to have PD during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, although the overall prevalence varied based on survey tools and quality of studies. Conclusion: As the pandemic crisis seems to be ebbing across the world, the current findings are a wake-up call to devise pragmatic strategies to curtail the burden of similar pandemics and to successfully meet the challenges ahead

The Prevalence of Comorbidities and Associated Factors among Patients with Dementia in the Indian Setting: Meta-analysis of Observational Studies

Background: Patients with dementia usually have multiple comorbidities. The presence of comorbidities may exacerbate the progression of dementia and decreases the patient’s ability to participate in health maintenance activities. However, there is hardly any meta-analysis estimating the magnitude of comorbidities among patients with dementia in the Indian context. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and relevant studies conducted in India were included. The risk of bias was assessed and a random-effects meta-analysis model was used in which I 2 statistics were calculated to measure heterogeneity among studies. Results: Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Altogether, we found the coexistence of comorbid conditions such as hypertension (51.10%), diabetes (27.58%), stroke (15.99%), and factors like tobacco use (26.81 %) and alcohol use (9.19%) among patients with dementia in this setting. The level of heterogeneity was high due to differences in the methodologies in the included studies Conclusions: Our study found hypertension as the most common comorbid condition among patients with dementia in India. The observed lacuna of methodological limitations in the studies included in the current meta-analysis provides the urgent need for good quality research to successfully meet the challenges ahead while devising appropriate strategies to treat the comorbidities among patients with dementia

The psychological morbidity among health care workers during the early phase of Covid-19 pandemic in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Across India, there have been multiple studies conducted to address the issues of the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study estimated the pooled prevalence of psychological morbidity among healthcare workers during the early phase of the COVID 19 pandemic in India. We searched the following electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley online library, and Google scholar for studies conducted from the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic until 25 September 2021. The methodological quality of each study was scored and outcome measures with uniform cut off scores as per various screening measurements were evaluated. According to the current meta analysis, the pooled estimates of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia among Indian healthcare workers during the COVID 19 pandemic are 20.1% (95% CI: 15.6 to 24.6%; n = 21 studies), 25.0% (95% CI: 18.4 to 31.6%; n = 20 studies), 36% (95% CI: 23.7 to 48.2%; n = 22 studies) and 18.9% (95% CI: 9.9 to 28.0%; n = 6 studies) respectively. In subgroup analyses, low quality studies based on the JBI checklist (Score < 3/9) and studies using DASS 21 showed a higher pooled prevalence of depression and anxiety. About 20–36% of the healthcare workers in India reported having depression, anxiety, and stress during the early phase of the COVID 19 pandemic. The present study provides a comprehensive review of the overall burden of mental health problems among healthcare workers during the COVID 19 pandemic in India necessitating appropriate intervention strategies to protect these frontline groups before the memory of the pandemic crisis starts to fade