Prevalence of depression among the elderly (60 years and above) population in India, 1997–2016: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background There is lack of information on the magnitude of depression among elderly population in India. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression among elderly population in India. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, IndMed, and Google Scholar were searched to identify articles reported community-based prevalence of depression among elderly population using screening tools. This study included the articles published during the years 1997 to 2016. Studies conducted in the special population groups, hospitals, reported only a subcategory of depression, and not specified the screening tool were excluded. Data were extracted from published reports and any missing information was requested from authors. Estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were performed. The publication bias was evaluated by using Egger’s test and visual inspection of the symmetry in funnel plots. Results Fifty-one studies from 16 States of India were included as 56 datasets, which estimated the prevalence of depression among Indian elderly population as 34.4% (95% CI: 29.3–39.7). In sub-group analysis, the pooled prevalence was higher among females, rural populations, and in the eastern part of the country. Studies using non-probability sampling, and GDS and CES-D screening tool showed higher prevalence. Exclusion of the studies with sample size less than 100 and low-quality studies (score < 5/8) had no effect on the estimate of the prevalence. The studies that excluded dementia before assessment of depression had lower prevalence. Conclusion About one third elderly population of India suffered from depression with female preponderance. The estimates varied with type of study tool, geographic region, sampling methods, and presence of dementia. The pooled estimate should be interpreted with caution as the studies included in this review had varied methodological approach and screening tools. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-7136-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prevalence of depression among the elderly in urban area of Perambalur district

“…Study by Thirtalli et al and a meta-analysis showed that female sex was associated with depression. 14,15 This circumstance is due to that, males more influenced by external risk factors for morbidity and mortality (accidents, smoking, alcohol, occupational exposure) tend to die soon and widowed women experience more loneliness. But studies by Anku et al revealed that there was no association of gender with depression.…”

A snapshot of factual bitterness of elderly Indians: It’s time to act

“…These finding are supported by many systematic reviews of Indian studies published in previous two decades. (47)(48)(49) Age was a significant predictor of depression among elderly people. A significant positive correlation of depression with age has also been highlighted by many authors in different parts of India.…”

“…Although this finding is supported by literature (50,53), yet a significant association of female gender with the risk of depression has also been emphasized by many authors. (47,48,54) Functional Disability been proved by many authors. (68,70,71) In the present study, 44% of the elderly people were found with visual impairment and nobody was completely blind.…”

Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Elderly Adults in Primary Health Care: A Comparative Analysis Between Brazil and Portugal

“…Listed as one of the most frequent mental disorders in the world population (1,2) , depression, which has a major impact on physical and emotional aspects, manifests itself in a way that compromises the individual's well-being, causing social isolation and physical and mental suffering, which can culminate in self-destructive behaviours or suicidal ideation (3) . Depression is more prevalent in elderly adults than in individuals in other age groups, but it has different manifestations, which makes diagnosis and treatment more di cult (4) .…”

“…In light of its prominence as a public health problem and the evidence of its worsening with age (1,4) , depression in uences the quality of life (QoL) of the population (8) . Its tremendous negative impact on various aspects of QoL has already been demonstrated by other authors (1,9) ; this impact worsens as the individual ages (10) .…”