The Prevalence of Depression among the Global Public in the Context of the COVID-19 Epidemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: We aimed to analyze the prevalence of depression among the global public during COVID-19, identify its influencing factors in order to provide reference, and help safeguard public mental health.

Methods: A comprehensive literature on global public depression in various countries during the COVID-19 pandemic was obtained through electronic searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and other databases, combined with literature tracing from Dec 2019 to Mar 2023. Then a meta-analysis was conducted using the random effects model by Stata 16.0. The heterogeneity was evaluated by I² . Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and meta-regression analysis were used to explore the sources of heterogeneity and the factors influencing public depression. Egger's test was used to test publication bias.

Results: Overall, 68 articles with 234,678 samples were included in the study. Analysis revealed that the overall prevalence of depression among the population during COVID-19 was 32.0% (95% CI: 29.0%-35.0%). Of these, marital status (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.47-0.87), presence of infected cases (OR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.82-3.30), and fear of being infected by the virus (OR=9.31, 95% CI: 6.03-14.37) were the main factors influencing people's depression and the main source of heterogeneity.

Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among the global public is at a high level during COVID-19. The prevalence of depression among people unmarried, divorced, or widowed, surrounded by infected cases, contact infection cases, and worried about being were higher than others.