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=Volume 11 - 2020

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=Background: 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.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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, P<0.001). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that mild depressive symptoms were more common in empty-nest elderly than moderate or severe depressive symptoms (P<0.001). In addition, living alone, higher male proportion, later year of publication and higher study quality score were significantly associated with higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (all P values<0.05).
Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, the prevalence of depressive symptoms 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.