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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Jan 8:8:603357.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.603357. eCollection 2020.

Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms Among University Students in Pakistan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Muhammad Naeem Khan  1   2 , Parveen Akhtar  3 , Saira Ijaz  4 , Ahmed Waqas  5   6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms Among University Students in Pakistan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Muhammad Naeem Khan et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: In Pakistan, almost 30% population is between 15 to 29 years of age, with university enrollment rates of 10-15%. Although there is a growing concern on mental health of university students across the globe, studies from low and middle income countries such as Pakistan are scarce. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence of depressive symptoms among Pakistani university students. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo and Google Scholar were searched between 15 to 30th January 2020. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, published till 31st December 2019 were included. Data on study characteristics and prevalence of depressive symptoms were extracted. Meta-analysis was conducted using random effects models. To estimate subgroup difference based on study characteristics, meta-regression and sub-group analyses were conducted. Results: In total, 26 studies involving 7,652 participants were included in review. Overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 42.66% (95% CI: 34.82% to 50.89%), with significant heterogeneity among studies. Subgroup analyses revealed a significant difference in prevalence estimates based on depression screening instrument and study major. Statistically significant differences were observed among studies employing different psychometric scales (test for subgroup differences, Q = 21.92, p < 0.05) and between students from different study majors (test for subgroup differences, Q = 3.76, p = 0.05). Conclusion: Our study found that overall prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students in Pakistan was 42.66%, however, findings should be interpreted with caution. Large scale epidemiological surveys using valid and reliable tools are needed to better estimate prevalence of depression among Pakistani university students.

Keywords: Pakistan; depression; low resource setting; meta-analysis (as topic); systematic review; university students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer SS declared a shared affiliation, though no other collaboration, with one of the authors AW to the handling Editor.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis of 26 studies on prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students in Pakistan.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot for publication bias with trim and fill method.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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