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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Oct 4;24(1):809.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05311-8.

Global prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the elderly population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Amir Jalali  1 , Arash Ziapour  2 , Zohreh Karimi  3 , Mohsen Rezaei  4 , Bashir Emami  4 , Reza Pourmirza Kalhori  5 , Fataneh Khosravi  4 , Jelveh Sadat Sameni  3 , Mohsen Kazeminia  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Global prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the elderly population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Amir Jalali et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: Several preliminary studies have been conducted in the field of the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the elderly population. These studies have examined the prevalence in limited geographic areas with small sample sizes. Also, there are many limitations in the meta-analysis studies. The objective of the present study was to synthesize the global prevalence statistics of depression, anxiety, and stress in the elderly population through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: The present systematic review included retrieval of primary studies from the oldest relevant study up to 2023. To find the relevant studies, international databases such as Scopus, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science (WoS) were systematically searched. Also, a manual search was performed through the Google Scholar search engine and a review of the sources of related articles. The qualitative assessment of the studies was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Due to a high heterogeneity among the study results, a Random Effects model was chosen.

Results: A total of 42 articles on depression, 47 articles on anxiety and 13 articles on stress were included in the meta-analysis. The overall estimates for prevalence based on a random-effects model were as follows: depression, 19.2% (95% CI: 13.0 - 27.5%); anxiety, 16.5% (95% CI: 11.1 - 22.8%); and stress, 13.9% (95% CI: 5.5 - 30.9%). The highest prevalence of depression and anxiety was recorded in Africa. The prevalence of depression was higher in nursing homes, and stress was more prevalent in individuals with COVID-19 compared to other populations.

Conclusion: The findings revealed a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the elderly population. Therefore, it is recommended that healthcare professionals and policymakers pay more attention to the prevention and management of these disorders in the elderly population.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Elderly population; Meta‑analysis; Prevalence; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

There is no confict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for article selection
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of the overall estimate of the global prevalence of depression in the elderly based on the random effects model
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of the overall estimate of the global prevalence of anxiety in the elderly based on the random effects model
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot of the overall estimate of the global prevalence of stress in the elderly based on the random effects model
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Funnel plot of the results related to the overall estimate of the global prevalence of depression in the elderly
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Funnel plot of the results related to the overall estimate of the global prevalence of anxiety in the elderly
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Funnel plot of the results related to the overall estimate of the global prevalence of stress in the elderly
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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