Abstract
Background: The end of the COVID-19 pandemic prompts a reflection on its impacts and the lessons that can be drawn for future health crises. This scoping review examined the mental health effects of the pandemic in 2020 for two OECD countries with divergent COVID-19 policies and infection rates: Sweden, with low-intervention policies and high infection rates, and New Zealand, with strict lockdown measures and low infection rates. The review was conducted in 2022 and used to inform a subsequent secondary of mental health data from Sweden and New Zealand.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PsycINFO, Medline and SCOPUS. The search was conducted on 6 July 2022 and included studies published up to that date. We identified 15 previously eligible studies in Sweden and New Zealand. The Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework and PRISMA flowchart were used to structure the review.
Results: New Zealand and Sweden both experienced notable increases in mental health distress over the first year of the pandemic. Both countries saw heightened distress and anxiety. Studies were heterogenous and data collection limitations reduce the precision and comparability of these findings and complicate causal attributions. The General Anxiety Disorder 7 item scale (GAD7) was identified as the most appropriate measure for secondary data analyses, directly comparing New Zealand and Swedish cohorts.
Conclusion: Both countries, despite differing COVID-19 policies, experienced reported increases in psychological distress but there was high heterogeneity of both study methodology and findings. Findings can be used to inform secondary data analyses. For future research and emergency response planning, more robust data collection practices and consistent outcome measures are essential to advance mental health epidemiology.