Erickson, Eric

Bressington, Daniel

Mitchell, David

2024-12-01

Government mandated quarantine outside the home was implemented to mitigate COVID-19 in some countries. Individual studies report that this can result in psychological distress. Investigating levels of distress and associated risk factors across different settings would inform public health models of care during future pandemics. However, no previous systematic reviews have been conducted on the topic. Therefore, we systematically reviewed international research on the prevalence and risk factors of psychological distress within supervised quarantine facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Medline, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, Psych Info, Cochrane databases and Google Scholar from January 2020 until June 2023. Relevant quantitative studies published in English were included.13 studies (pooled participants = 4366) were included in this review. The prevalence of psychological distress varied widely across the included studies (depression 4%-63%; anxiety 4%-100%; stress 1%-68%). Associated risk factors identified were also heterogeneous between studies and facilities.In future pandemics, the benefits of infection mitigation need to be weighed against the risk of psychological distress. Models of care utilising specifically designed facilities, with greater freedoms, increased comfort and ease of access to mental health services may limit psychological distress.

Top End Mental Health Service, Royal Darwin Hospital, Casuarina, NT, Australia.

Faculty of Health, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, Australia; and.

Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, Northern Territory Department of Health, Darwin, NT, Australia.

Faculty of Health, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, Australia; and.

Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, Northern Territory Department of Health, Darwin, NT, Australia.

Australas Psychiatry . 2024 Dec;32(6):496-509. doi: 10.1177/10398562241283582. Epub 2024 Sep 20.

1440-1665

0009-0003-5905-8469

0000-0003-0470-362X

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39304190/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/13847

COVID

mandatory quarantine

psychiatry

psychological distress

Humans

COVID-19

Quarantine

Psychological Distress

Stress, Psychological

SARS-CoV-2

Risk Factors

The psychological impact of supervised quarantine facilities for the mitigation of COVID-19: A systematic review.

Journal Article

Publication