Determination of depression prevalence in pregnant women living with HIV aged 18 years and older: A meta-analysis study.

Background: Pregnant women living with HIV are known to be at higher risk of depression than pregnant women without HIV. Accompanied by a systematic literature review, the aim of this study was to determine the global prevalence of depression in pregnant women living with HIV.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science databases were searched. The references of the included publications and a similar meta-analysis study were also reviewed. The 19 included studies were assessed for quality using standard forms. Pooled prevalence was calculated using a random effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using various methods. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were also performed.

Results: Of the 19 studies included in the review, six of the studies were published between 2008 and 2014, and 13 were published between 2017 and 2023. 15 studies were conducted in African countries. According to study type, eight studies were cross-sectional and seven were cohort studies. The pooled prevalence of depression was calculated to be 45%. The prevalence in African countries was 37.7%. The studies were found to be statistically significantly heterogeneous. Tests and funnel plots showed no publication bias in this meta-analysis. The variables place, study type and scale made the model significant in the meta-regression.

Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, 6379 women aged 18 years and older were examined and their depression levels were found to be high. Taking steps to struggle with HIV and depression in people living with HIV seems important.