Global prevalence of low resilience among the general population and health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis

Objective: To estimate the global prevalence of low resilience among the general population and health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Embase, Ovid-MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, WHO COVID-19 databases, and grey literature were searched for studies from January 1, 2020, to August 22, 2022. Hoy's assessment tool was used to assess for risk of bias. Meta-analysis and moderator analysis was performed using the Generalized Linear Mixed Model with a corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) adopting the random-effect model in R software. Between-study heterogeneity was measured using I2 and τ2 statistics. Results: Overall, 44 studies involving 51,119 participants were identified. The pooled prevalence of low resilience was 27.0 % (95 % CI: 21.0 %–33.0 %) with prevalence among the general population being 35.0 % (95 % CI: 28.0 %–42.0 %) followed by 23.0 % (95 % CI: 16.0 %–30.9 %) for health professionals. The 3-month trend analysis of the prevalence of low resilience beginning January 2020 to June 2021 revealed upward then downward patterns among overall populations. The prevalence of low resilience was higher in females, studied during the delta variant dominant period, frontline health professionals, and undergraduate degree education. Limitations: Study outcomes showed high heterogeneity; however, sub-group and meta-regression analyses were conducted to identify potential moderating factors. Conclusions: Globally, 1 out of 4 people among the general population and health professionals experienced low resilience due to COVID-19 adversity. The prevalence of low resilience was twice as much among the general population compared to health professionals. These findings provide information for policymakers and clinicians in the development and implementation of resilience-enhancing programs.