The Prevalence of depression among inpatients and outpatients and key associated sociodemographic and clinical factors, 2010 - 2022: A systematic review

Abstract

Depression has a higher prevalence than other mood disorders, and the disability it causes is a global burden. Although mental health is an essential component of normal functioning and health, mental disorders such as depression are neglected. The study aimed to summarise the prevalence of depression, gender differences, and associated factors in inpatients and outpatients. A systematic review approach was used, whereby the PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus electronic databases were searched for studies published between the years 2010 and 2022 to identify observational studies with the above information on different continents. Data characteristics were extracted independently by two investigators. After scanning and evaluation, 52 articles were initially identified. After further screening, 29 articles were reviewed for the study. These 29 cross-sectional studies included a total of 46979 individuals. From the literature reviewed, common factors associated with depression included demographic characteristics, biopsychosocial factors, substance abuse, a history or family history of mental illness, and a history or family history of chronic illness. Women were more prone to depression than men (54.9%). In terms of geographical location, the prevalence of depression was highest in North America at 36.0% and lowest in Europe at 25.0%. Further studies are needed to evaluate the prevalence of depression and associated factors specific to other geographical locations.