The Association between Resilience and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study examined the association between resilience and psychological distress in healthcare workers, the general population, and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo, Science Direct, and Nursing and Allied Health databases. Included articles examined healthcare workers (e.g., physicians and nurses), the general population, and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies of exposure to other infectious diseases related to epidemics or pandemics (e.g., SARS and MERS) were excluded. This study was performed following the Cooper matrix review method and PRISMA guidelines, followed by a meta-analysis of study results using R version 4.1.2. A random effect model was used for the pooled analysis. This study was registered with PROSPERO (registration No. CRD42021261429). Based on the meta-analysis, we found a moderate negative relationship between overall resilience and psychological distress (r = −0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.45 to −0.38, p < 0.001). For the subgroup analysis, a moderately significant negative relationship between overall resilience and psychological distress was found among healthcare workers (r = −0.39, 95% CI: −0.44 to −0.33, p < 0.001), which was weaker than in the general population (r = −0.45, 95% CI: −0.50 to −0.39, p < 0.001) and in patients (r = −0.43; 95% CI: −0.52 to −0.33; p < 0.001). This association was robust, although the heterogeneity among individual effect sizes was substantial (I(2) = 94%, 99%, and 74%, respectively). This study revealed a moderate negative relationship between resilience and psychological distress in healthcare workers, the general population, and patients. For all these populations, interventions and resources are needed to improve individuals’ resilience and ability to cope with psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future disease outbreaks.