Prevalence of major depressive disorder in Iranian men from 2011 to 2022; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the health problems that imposes a large disease burden on the community. Its prevalence is based on gender. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of MDD in Iranian men between 2011 and 2022.

Methods: The Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Sciences, PsycINfo, and Iranian databases were searched for studies published from January 2011 to December 2022. Two independent reviewers screened the observational studies conducted on men aged 15 years and older with MDD. The interested outcomes were the prevalence type of MDD.

Results: Data of 5 studies were included in the present meta-analysis. Among 10,667 participants in the study, 1479 (13.9%) individuals had a history of MDD. In the subgroup analysis, the average lifetime prevalence was 7.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 4.7 - 12.0%) and the point prevalence was 19.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 6.7 - 43.5%) based on random effect model. The 12-month prevalence was 10.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 9.8 - 11.9%) based on the single study.

Conclusion: Preventive and therapeutic programs are strongly recommended due to the high prevalence of major depression in Iranian men and the lack of sufficient studies in this field.