text: Anxiety and Depression in Chinese Students During the COVID 19 Pandemic A Meta Analysis b Background b The novel 2019 coronavirus disease COVID 19 pandemic has spread rapidly worldwide and poses a global health threat b Aims b This study assessed the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese students during the COVID 19 pandemic and explored potential moderating factors b Methods b We searched English and Chinese databases using pertinent keywords for articles published and unpublished up until November 2020 The estimate of the overall prevalence of anxiety and depression was conducted through a random effects model b Results b A total of 31 cross sectional studies were included The overall prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese students during the COVID 19 pandemic was 24 0 95 CI 20 0 29 0 and 22 0 95 CI 18 0 27 0 respectively Subgroup analyses revealed that Chinese middle school students were at heightened risk of anxiety while university students were at heightened risk of depression Students who lived in higher risk areas presented severe anxiety and depression especially during the late period of the COVID 19 epidemic b Conclusions b Overall during the COVID 19 pandemic there was a high prevalence of anxiety in Chinese students and a high prevalence of depression among Chinese students in high risk areas Therefore comprehensive and targeted psychological interventions should be developed to address the mental health of students in different grades especially in high risk areas and during the late period of the COVID 19 pandemic 