The quality of research on mental health related to the COVID-19 pandemic: A note of caution after a systematic review.
Brain Behav Immun Health
; 7: 100123, 2020 Aug.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32835299
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS:
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spurred scientific production in diverse fields of knowledge, including mental health. Yet, the quality of current research may be challenged by the urgent need to provide immediate results to understand and alleviate the consequences of the pandemic. This study aims to examine compliance with basic methodological quality criteria and open scientific research practices on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD ANDRESULTS:
Twenty-eight studies were identified through a systematic search. Most of them met the requirements related to reporting key methodological and statistical information. However, the widespread use of convenience samples and the lack of a priori power analysis, coupled with low compliance with open science recommendations, such as pre-registration of studies and availability of databases, raise concerns about the validity, generalisability, and reproducibility of the findings.CONCLUSIONS:
While the importance of offering rapid evidence-based responses to mitigate mental health problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic is undeniable, it should not be done at the expense of sacrificing scientific rigor. The results of this study may stimulate researchers and funding agencies to try to orchestrate efforts and resources and follow standard codes of good scientific practice.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Systematic_reviews
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Brain Behav Immun Health
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article