This article reports on the first meta-analysis of studies on the association between government-imposed social restrictions and mental health outcomes published during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-three studies (N = 131,844) were included. Social restrictions were significantly associated with increased mental health symptoms overall (d = .41 [CI 95% .17–.65]), including depression (d = .83 [CI 95% .30–1.37]), stress (d = .21 [CI 95% .01–.42]) and loneliness (d = .30 [CI 95% .07–.52]), but not anxiety (d = .26 [CI 95% −.04–.56]). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the strictness and length of restrictions had divergent effects on mental health outcomes, but there are concerns regarding study quality. The findings provide critical insights for future research on the effects of COVID-19 social restrictions.

本文报告了在 COVID-19 大流行的第一年发表的关于政府施加的社会限制与心理健康结果之间关联的研究的第一个荟萃分析。纳入了 33 项研究 (N = 131,844)。社交限制与总体心理健康症状增加显着相关 ( d  = .41 [CI 95% .17–.65])，包括抑郁 ( d = .83 [CI 95% .30–1.37])、压力 ( d = .21 [CI 95% .01–.42]）和孤独感（d = .30 [CI 95% .07–.52]），但不焦虑（d =.26 [置信区间 95% -.04–.56]）。亚组分析表明，限制的严格程度和长度对心理健康结果有不同的影响，但研究质量令人担忧。这些发现为未来研究 COVID-19 社会限制的影响提供了重要见解。