The prevalence of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) after the natural disasters: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The failure to detect PDG and lack of providing essential interventions accordingly can disrupt the lives of survivors of natural disasters years after the death of their loved ones. The present study aims to investigate PGD after natural disasters using a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines.

With the focus on the prevalence of PGD after natural disasters, studies conducted until the end of 2021 were collected without a time limit. To do this, reputable databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, and Science Direct were used. The random effects model was used to perform a meta-analysis of the studies. To check the heterogeneity between the studies, the I2 index was used. The publication bias of the study was evaluated using Begg's test. Data were analyzed using the STATA software.

Primarily, 2566 studies were collected based on the initial search, from which 12 final studies were entered into the analysis. The results showed that the prevalence of PGD after natural disasters was 38.81 % (95 % CI: 24.12-53.50, I2 = 99.7 %, p = 0 < 001).

It is recommended that policies and plannings of the organizations responsible for disaster management be prepared to send specialized teams of psycho-spiritual counseling, quickly accommodate the injured, and reconstruct the damaged buildings in the shortest time possible.