ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Perinatal Psychiatry
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1630601
This article is part of the Research TopicPerinatal Mental Health in the Post-COVID Era: Impacts and Future StrategiesView all 4 articles
Burden and Trends of Major Depressive Disorders among Women of Childbearing Age and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Provisionally accepted
- 1The 901 Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army Joint Service Support Unit, Hefei, China
- 2The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, beijing, China
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Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) substantially contributes to DALYs in women of childbearing age (WCBA; 15-49 years), with a pronounced female predominance. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified this burden, yet integrated pre- and post-pandemic trend analyses are scarce. Methods: Using GBD 2021 data, we assessed MDD prevalence, incidence, and DALYs in WCBA globally/regionally/nationally (1990-2021). Estimates are point values with 95% UIs. Trends were quantified via estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and absolute percentage change (PC). Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models compared pre-pandemic (1990-2019) and pandemic-inclusive (1990-2021) projections to 2036. Results: Global prevalent cases rose from 49.6 million (95% UI: 41.6-60.2) in 1990 to 85.6 million (95% UI: 70.3-103.8) in 2021. Growth accelerated to 25.7% during 2019-2021 versus 1.2% annually pre-pandemic. Prevalence rates declined marginally pre-2019 (EAPC: -0.38) but reversed sharply post-pandemic (EAPC: 11.47), reaching 4,394.55 per 100,000 in 2021. Regionally in 2021: Middle & low-middle SDI regions accounted for >55% of cases [Omitted specific UIs for these regions] Low SDI regions showed fastest growth since 1990 (+160%) High-SDI regions had the highest 2021 rate (5915.76 per 100,000) and steepest post-2019 surge (EAPC: 13.66) Highest regional rate: High-income North America (8403.17 per 100,000); Lowest: East Asia (1856.99 per 100,000).Nationally, India had the highest cases (16.3 million, 19% global share); Greenland had the highest rate (13,822.85 per 100,000). Adolescents (15-19 years) saw the largest pandemic-driven increase (30.06% PC), exceptin East Asia where rates declined (-11.53%). ARIMA projections indicate 103.06 million global prevalent cases by 2036—32% above pre-pandemic estimates—with high SDI regions persisting at 5,617.68 per 100,000.Conclusions: Analysis reveals a dual crisis: high SDI regions face entrenched high projected prevalence (5,617.68 per 100,000), while low SDI regions carry substantial burden (4,593.77 per 100,000 in 2021) with rapid case expansion (+160% since 1990). The pandemic disproportionately impacted adolescents globally, though East Asia showed resilience. Findings demand stratified interventions: digital tools (high-income settings), community-based screening (resource-limited areas), and adolescent-focused programs worldwide. Immediate policy action is needed to avert intergenerational consequences.
Keywords: Major Depressive Disorder, Women of childbearing age, disease burden, COVID-19 pandemic, GBD 2021
Received: 18 May 2025; Accepted: 26 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liao, Wang, Yu, Ma, Yan, He and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jun Tang, The 901 Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army Joint Service Support Unit, Hefei, China
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