A meta-analysis of epidemiological studies in depression of older people in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

Background There has been little information about depression in Chinese elderly people. In order to investigate whether or not there is an excess of depression among the Chinese elderly, we have performed a meta‐analysis of the published epidemiological studies. Methods Papers published in the literature from The People's Republic of China included in the Chinese medical databases were obtained. Some additional papers collected from other sources were also included. The fixed/random effects model and Poisson model were employed for data analysis. Results There were 10 cross‐sectional studies (23 samples divided according to men/women and urban/rural subjects) giving sufficient prevalence data on depression (13 565 subjects) or depressive mood (8476 subjects). The pooled prevalence of depression was 3.86% (95%CI 3.37–4.42%), while that of depressive mood was 14.81% (14.20–15.64%). The risk of depression in the rural communities (5.07%, 3.61–7.13%) was higher than in the urban (2.61%, 2.22–3.08%). The same trends were observed for depressive mood. The patterns of risk factors were similar to those in western countries. Conclusions Chinese tradition and culture may be explanatory factors for the low prevalence, provided the methodological issues have not seriously biased the results. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Depressive Symptoms and Risk Factors in Chinese Patients with Premature Ventricular Contractions without Structural Heart Disease

“…With regard to investigation in the People's Republic of China in the 1980s, prevalence of depressive symptoms in the general population was low, 18,20 this was different from our findings. our study, more and more small-scale studies of the Chinese population have revealed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms is increasing.…”

“…17,18 In fact, certain useful instruments such as the Beck Depression Inventory could be used for investigating depressive symptoms in a population. 19,20 There were several reasons for us to choose ZSDS. First, several studies established ZSDS as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring depressive symptoms.…”

“…Chen et al 20 did a meta-analysis focusing on the epidemiology of depression in the People's Republic of China in 1999. Through the analysis of 8,476 subjects with depressive moods in 10 cross-sectional studies, results showed that prevalence of depressive mood was 14.81% (14.20%-15.64%) in these persons.…”

Correlates of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms among older adults in Korea and Japan

“…Contrasting results, nevertheless, have been reported, with findings of no significant urban-rural differences in depression (Parikh et al, 1996;Kim et al, 2002) and a higher rural prevalence in a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies in China (Chen et al, 1999). Considering the influence of changes in the social environment on mental health, it may be related to the migration of the neighboring urban residents into Yoita town, as it is being transformed into a suburban residential area.…”

Depression and Associated Factors in the Elderly Cadres in Fuzhou, China: A Community-based Study

“…A meta-analysis study had found a 3.86% prevalence rate for depression in the Chinese older population, compared with a 12% prevalence rate in Western Europe 12 . In view of the worldwide prevalence of geriatric depression, which ranges from 3.5% to 24.1%, the current prevalence of depression for elderly cadres was 10.5%, which is in the middle of the range for prevalence estimates in past studies 13,14 .…”