Refugee mental health - systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Mental health conditions of forcibly displaced persons are unknown as the characteristics of the population change over the years. This study aims to estimate the prevalence rates of mental health conditions among refugees (depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress). Methods We conducted a systematic review using MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate), PsycINFO (EBSCO), Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), and PTSDPubs (ProQuest) published between 1994-2022. We set up clear eligibility criteria and developed a data extraction sheet. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) quality assessment tool for quantitative studies. Heterogeneity was assessed using I² statistics. Results The search yielded 4,381 records, of which 171 were included in the full-text review. 54 studies were included in the final review. These 54 studies comprised of 62,522 forcibly displaced populations (49.22% males, 50.78% females). Pooled prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, and PTSD were 36.3% (95% CI 30.0-43.2), 35.9% (95% CI 31.9-41.3), and 35.4% (95% CI 29.0-42.4) respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of PTSD, depression and anxiety is significant among forcibly displaced persons. Screening for mental health conditions among these populations might prove beneficial to prevent more severe mental health conditions through the implementation of early intervention strategies.