Published online Sep 6, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i25.7433
Peer-review started: February 5, 2021
First decision: March 7, 2021
Revised: March 17, 2021
Accepted: August 13, 2021
Article in press: August 13, 2021
Published online: September 6, 2021
The uncertainties about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the change in routine, lifestyles and the reduction of physical contact can cause stress, anxiety, emotional overload, poor sleep and even physical health complications.
We are more than 1 year into the pandemic and more and more literature is evolving around the psychosocial effects of social isolation during this period. We were motivated to do a deep literature review of the scientific literature available and provide pragmatic insight to the problem.
Our objective was to evaluate the scientific publications available on the relationship between COVID-19 and anxiety experienced in the general population, during the period of social isolation, adopted by governmental organizations and public health policymakers as a measure to contain the spread of cases.
A literature search was performed systematically exploring the Pubmed and Medline databases using the following terms classified as MeSH descriptors: (“anxiety” AND “pandemic” AND “COVID-19”). For the search, in the Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde – BVS, Science.gov, Web of Science and National Library platforms, the following keywords were used: ("anxiety" AND "coronavirus" AND "social isolation"). Thirty-seven peer-reviewed articles were found. PRISMA and the Downs & Black checklist were used for qualitative evaluation.
The collated evidence demonstrated increased levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression during the period of social isolation. The population between the ages of 21 to 40 years was most affected. The risk of severe depression was twice as high at the epicenter of the pandemic. Sleep quality was significantly impaired. Questions about politics, religion, and consumption of products from China were found to generate fear and anticipate probable changes in the pattern of post-pandemic consumption. Social isolation exacerbated feelings of extreme hopelessness, sadness, loneliness and suicidal ideation.
We conclude that there is a potential relationship between social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and symptoms of anxiety. It is important to note that the direct and indirect costs of not identifying the detrimental effects of this phenomenon and neglecting strategies for intervention could lead to a significant psychological burden on society in several aspects after social isolation. This study represents a first approximation on this important theme, which needs to be revisited from future studies, considering longer reference periods.
Direction of the future research: We aim to maintain this as a live systematic review and provide timely updates on the evolving literature concerning to this very relevant issue.