Table 2.
Results of meta-analysis of subscale scores of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and the severity of psychiatric symptoms, as indicated by Cohen’s d values.
| Psychiatric symptoms | Number of studies | Sample size | Heterogeneity, I2 (%), P | Patient sample | Chinese SCL-90-R norms | Cohen’s d | Z | P | Egger’s test, t, P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled mean (95% CI) | Standard deviation | Mean | Standard deviation | ||||||||
| COVID-19 patients during the acute stage | |||||||||||
| Somatization | 11 | 1675 | 99.9, <0.001 | 2.17 (1.86, 2.48) | 0.16 | 1.37 | 0.46 | 2.33 | 141.39 | <0.001 | 0.187, 0.856 |
| Obsessive-compulsive | 9 | 1003 | 99.6, <0.001 | 2.07 (1.81, 2.33) | 0.13 | 1.66 | 0.58 | 0.98 | 61.33 | <0.001 | NA |
| Interpersonal sensitivity | 9 | 1003 | 99.6, <0.001 | 2.03 (1.71, 2.35) | 0.16 | 1.51 | 0.55 | 1.28 | 72.09 | <0.001 | NA |
| Depression | 10 | 1655 | 99.9, <0.001 | 2.08 (1.65, 2.52) | 0.22 | 1.45 | 0.53 | 1.56 | 87.18 | <0.001 | 0.360, 0.728 |
| Anxiety | 11 | 1675 | 99.7, <0.001 | 2.23 (1.86, 2.59) | 0.19 | 1.4 | 0.48 | 2.27 | 130.90 | <0.001 | 1.008, 0.340 |
| Hostility | 10 | 1023 | 99.7, <0.001 | 1.89 (1.53, 2.25) | 0.19 | 1.48 | 0.57 | 0.97 | 52.87 | <0.001 | 1.369, 0.208 |
| Phobic anxiety | 8 | 933 | 99.7, <0.001 | 2.10 (1.86, 2.33) | 0.12 | 1.23 | 0.39 | 3.01 | 163.57 | <0.001 | NA |
| Paranoid ideation | 8 | 933 | 99.9, <0.001 | 1.69 (1.10, 2.27) | 0.30 | 1.41 | 0.50 | 0.68 | 25.82 | <0.001 | NA |
| Psychoticism | 8 | 933 | 99.8, <0.001 | 1.68 (0.94, 2.42) | 0.38 | 1.34 | 0.44 | 0.83 | 26.13 | <0.001 | NA |
| Appetite and sleep | 4 | 800 | 97.1, <0.001 | 2.27 (1.83, 2.72) | 0.23 | 1.51 | 0.58 | 1.74 | 80.12 | <0.001 | NA |
| COVID-19 survivors during the very early stage of recovery | |||||||||||
| Somatization | 2 | 30 | 94.7, <0.001 | 1.59 (0.96, 2.21) | 0.32 | 1.37 | 0.46 | 0.55 | 3.70 | <0.001 | NA |
| Obsessive-compulsive | 2 | 30 | 98.0, <0.001 | 1.75 (0.84, 2.66) | 0.47 | 1.66 | 0.58 | 0.17 | 1.03 | 0.234 | NA |
| Interpersonal sensitivity | 2 | 30 | 97.0, <0.001 | 1.73 (0.82, 2.64) | 0.47 | 1.51 | 0.55 | 0.43 | 2.55 | 0.016 | NA |
| Depression | 2 | 30 | 97.2, <0.001 | 1.66 (0.84, 2.48) | 0.42 | 1.45 | 0.53 | 0.44 | 2.72 | 0.010 | NA |
| Anxiety | 2 | 30 | 94.8, <0.001 | 1.67 (0.98, 2.35) | 0.35 | 1.4 | 0.48 | 0.64 | 4.18 | <0.001 | NA |
| Hostility | 2 | 30 | 95.6, <0.001 | 1.65 (0.96, 2.33) | 0.35 | 1.48 | 0.57 | 0.36 | 2.64 | 0.012 | NA |
| Phobic anxiety | 2 | 30 | 96.2, <0.001 | 1.49 (0.86, 2.12) | 0.32 | 1.23 | 0.39 | 0.73 | 4.47 | <0.001 | NA |
| Paranoid ideation | 2 | 30 | 96.3, <0.001 | 1.60 (0.95, 2.25) | 0.33 | 1.41 | 0.5 | 0.45 | 3.17 | 0.003 | NA |
| Psychoticism | 2 | 30 | 99.0, <0.001 | 1.53 (0.82, 2.23) | 0.36 | 1.34 | 0.44 | 0.47 | 2.85 | 0.007 | NA |
| Appetite and sleep | 1 | 16 | NA | 1.43 (1.32, 1.54) | 0.06 | 1.51 | 0.58 | 0.19 | 5.43 | <0.001 | NA |
| SARS patients during the acute stage | |||||||||||
| Somatization | 7 | 964 | 95.5, <0.001 | 1.96 (1.69, 2.23) | 0.14 | 1.42 | 0.44 | 1.65 | 48.71 | <0.001 | NA |
| Obsessive-compulsive | 7 | 964 | 98.3, <0.001 | 1.83 (1.43, 2.23) | 0.21 | 1.66 | 0.52 | 0.43 | 12.44 | <0.001 | NA |
| Interpersonal sensitivity | 7 | 964 | 99.1, <0.001 | 1.72 (1.34, 2.10) | 0.19 | 1.51 | 0.49 | 0.55 | 15.98 | <0.001 | NA |
| Depression | 7 | 964 | 98.1, <0.001 | 2.01 (1.69, 2.33) | 0.16 | 1.50 | 0.47 | 1.44 | 42.12 | <0.001 | NA |
| Anxiety | 7 | 964 | 99.3, <0.001 | 2.01 (1.38, 2.64) | 0.32 | 1.34 | 0.39 | 1.88 | 49.14 | <0.001 | NA |
| Hostility | 7 | 964 | 97.8, <0.001 | 1.65 (1.38, 1.92) | 0.14 | 1.49 | 0.51 | 0.43 | 12.79 | <0.001 | NA |
| Phobic anxiety | 7 | 964 | 99.7, <0.001 | 1.68 (1.05, 2.31) | 0.32 | 1.27 | 0.39 | 1.15 | 30.03 | <0.001 | NA |
| Paranoid ideation | 7 | 964 | 98.6, <0.001 | 1.45 (1.22, 1.69) | 0.12 | 1.44 | 0.47 | 0.04 | 1.27 | 0.178 | NA |
| Psychoticism | 7 | 964 | 98.9, <0.001 | 1.50 (1.17, 1.83) | 0.17 | 1.33 | 0.39 | 0.56 | 16.08 | <0.001 | NA |
| SARS survivors during the very early stage of recovery | |||||||||||
| Somatization | 7 | 552 | 83.8, <0.001 | 1.74 (1.58, 1.90) | 0.08 | 1.42 | 0.44 | 1.01 | 30.02 | <0.001 | NA |
| Obsessive-compulsive | 7 | 552 | 93.7, <0.001 | 1.79 (1.55, 2.02) | 0.12 | 1.66 | 0.52 | 0.33 | 9.67 | <0.001 | NA |
| Interpersonal sensitivity | 7 | 552 | 95.4, <0.001 | 1.66 (1.40, 1.92) | 0.13 | 1.51 | 0.49 | 0.41 | 11.57 | <0.001 | NA |
| Depression | 7 | 552 | 95.6, <0.001 | 1.76 (1.47, 2.05) | 0.15 | 1.50 | 0.47 | 0.74 | 20.52 | <0.001 | NA |
| Anxiety | 7 | 552 | 89.3, <0.001 | 1.70 (1.51, 1.89) | 0.10 | 1.34 | 0.39 | 1.27 | 36.63 | <0.001 | NA |
| Hostility | 7 | 552 | 94.9, <0.001 | 1.61 (1.35, 1.86) | 0.13 | 1.49 | 0.51 | 0.32 | 9.08 | <0.001 | NA |
| Phobic anxiety | 7 | 552 | 93.3, <0.001 | 1.42 (1.25, 1.59) | 0.09 | 1.27 | 0.39 | 0.53 | 15.55 | <0.001 | NA |
| Paranoid ideation | 7 | 552 | 90.7, <0.001 | 1.46 (1.31, 1.62) | 0.08 | 1.44 | 0.47 | 0.07 | 2.10 | 0.044 | NA |
| Psychoticism | 7 | 552 | 93.9, <0.001 | 1.48 (1.30, 1.66) | 0.09 | 1.33 | 0.39 | 0.53 | 15.22 | <0.001 | NA |
| SARS survivors during the early stage of recovery | |||||||||||
| Somatization | 4 | 291 | 0.0, 0.427 | 1.60 (1.51, 1.68) | 0.04 | 1.42 | 0.44 | 0.57 | 17.00 | <0.001 | NA |
| Obsessive-compulsive | 4 | 291 | 42.3, 0.158 | 1.76 (1.68, 1.85) | 0.04 | 1.66 | 0.52 | 0.28 | 8.44 | <0.001 | NA |
| Interpersonal sensitivity | 4 | 291 | 31.0, 0.226 | 1.55 (1.48, 1.63) | 0.04 | 1.51 | 0.49 | 0.13 | 3.88 | <0.001 | NA |
| Depression | 4 | 291 | 71.2, 0.015 | 1.65 (1.49, 1.81) | 0.08 | 1.50 | 0.47 | 0.45 | 12.68 | <0.001 | NA |
| Anxiety | 4 | 291 | 73.6, 0.010 | 1.57 (1.40, 1.74) | 0.09 | 1.34 | 0.39 | 0.82 | 22.45 | <0.001 | NA |
| Hostility | 4 | 291 | 59.5, 0.060 | 1.45 (1.34, 1.56) | 0.06 | 1.49 | 0.51 | 0.11 | 3.20 | 0.002 | NA |
| Phobic anxiety | 4 | 291 | 41.7, 0.161 | 1.37 (1.29, 1.45) | 0.04 | 1.27 | 0.39 | 0.37 | 10.96 | <0.001 | NA |
| Paranoid ideation | 4 | 291 | 0.0, 0.404 | 1.37 (1.30, 1.44) | 0.04 | 1.44 | 0.47 | 0.22 | 6.60 | <0.001 | NA |
| Psychoticism | 4 | 291 | 71.7, 0.014 | 1.32 (1.20, 1.44) | 0.06 | 1.33 | 0.39 | 0.02 | 0.64 | 0.325 | NA |
| SARS survivors during the late stage of recovery | |||||||||||
| Somatization | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.65 (1.37, 1.93) | 0.98 | 1.42 | 0.44 | 0.30 | 1.62 | 0.107 | NA |
| Obsessive-compulsive | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.59 (1.39, 1.79) | 0.71 | 1.66 | 0.52 | 0.11 | 0.68 | 0.317 | NA |
| Interpersonal sensitivity | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.64 (1.43, 1.86) | 0.76 | 1.51 | 0.49 | 0.20 | 1.18 | 0.199 | NA |
| Depression | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.55 (1.34, 1.76) | 0.75 | 1.50 | 0.47 | 0.08 | 0.46 | 0.359 | NA |
| Anxiety | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.50 (1.30, 1.70) | 0.72 | 1.34 | 0.39 | 0.28 | 1.53 | 0.123 | NA |
| Hostility | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.46 (1.18, 1.74) | 0.98 | 1.49 | 0.51 | 0.04 | 0.21 | 0.390 | NA |
| Phobic anxiety | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.36 (1.11, 1.61) | 0.89 | 1.27 | 0.39 | 0.13 | 0.70 | 0.312 | NA |
| Paranoid ideation | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.45 (1.21, 1.69) | 0.84 | 1.44 | 0.47 | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.398 | NA |
| Psychoticism | 1 | 48 | NA | 1.41 (1.14, 1.68) | 0.95 | 1.33 | 0.39 | 0.11 | 0.58 | 0.337 | NA |
NA not applicable.