AUTHOR=Zhang Hong-He , Jiang Yuan-Yuan , Rao Wen-Wang , Zhang Qing-E , Qin Ming-Zhao , Ng Chee H. , Ungvari Gabor S. , Xiang Yu-Tao 

TITLE=Prevalence of Depression Among Empty-Nest Elderly in China: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00608

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00608

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Depressive symptoms are common in empty-nest elderly in China, but the reported prevalence rates across studies are mixed. This is a meta-analysis of the pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms (depression hereafter) in empty-nest elderly in China.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Two investigators independently conducted a systematic literature search in both English (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) and Chinese (CNKI and Wan Fang) databases. Data were analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>A total of 46 studies with 36,791 subjects were included. The pooled prevalence of depression was 38.6% (95%CI: 31.5–46.3%). Compared with non-empty-nest elderly, empty-nest elderly were more likely to suffer from depression (OR=2.0, 95%CI: 1.4 to 2.8, <italic>P</italic>&lt;0.001). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that mild depression were more common in empty-nest elderly than moderate or severe depression (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.001). In addition, living alone (<italic>P</italic>=0.002), higher male proportion (<italic>β</italic>=0.04, <italic>P</italic>&lt;0.001), later year of publication (<italic>β</italic>=0.09, <italic>P</italic>&lt;0.001) and higher study quality score (<italic>β</italic>=0.62, <italic>P</italic>&lt;0.001) were significantly associated with higher prevalence of depression.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>In this meta-analysis, the prevalence of depression in empty-nest elderly was high in China. Considering the negative impact of depression on health outcomes and well-being, regular screening and appropriate interventions need to be delivered for this vulnerable segment of the population.</p></sec>