Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (May 2024)
Mental Health During COVID-19: An Evaluation of Academic Universities’ Contribution to Existing Research
Abstract
Samah Tawil,1,2 Shafiul Haque,1,3,4 Pascale Salameh1,2,5 1Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon; 2Institut National de Santé Publique d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban (INSPECT-LB), Beirut, Lebanon; 3Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, 45142, Saudi Arabia; 4Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, 13306, United Arab Emirates; 5Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, 2417, CyprusCorrespondence: Samah Tawil, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon, Tel +9619547254, ext. 3466, Fax +9611867098, Email [email protected]: Increases in mental health problems have been observed during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this topic of research became a priority, especially at the academic level. The objectives of this review were to summarize academic contribution to mental health research during the era of COVID-19. A scoping review of studies conducted at different academic institutions and examining alterations in mental health during the pandemic during the last three years was conducted. Fifty-five studies were included. These focused on different mental health changes that occurred in the era of COVID-19 such as changes in work habits or existing psychological conditions, COVID-19-related fear depression, anxiety and stress. Most of the included studies were observational (76.7%). The majority of the publications were published in Scimago Journal Rank Q1 journals (57.1%). The average number of citations per publication was 15.3 ± 30.13 [0– 125]. The number of citations was higher in papers with international collaboration of authors (p = 0.031). Publications with COVID-19 as a main objective were more cited than papers not directly related to this subject (25.9 ± 39.45 vs 4.14 ± 3.2; p = 0.044). Mental health problems are a common response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contribution of academic universities to different mental health research studies that took place during COVID-19 outbreak have underlined this reality. However, more representative research from other institutional settings will be needed, particularly in vulnerable populations.Keywords: mental, health, research, contribution, evaluation, COVID-19
