Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people

Objectives To assess the global prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders (MDDs) among homeless people.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources Databases including PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were systematically searched up to February...

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Main Authors: Getinet Ayano, Asmare Belete, Bereket Duko, Light Tsegay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2021-02-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e040061.full
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spelling doaj-5fb360794a4749f7bd696823993f50e12021-06-25T13:36:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552021-02-0111210.1136/bmjopen-2020-040061Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless peopleGetinet Ayano0Asmare Belete1Bereket Duko2Light Tsegay3School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, AustraliaDepartment of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, EthiopiaSchool of Public Health, Hawassa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa, EthiopiaDepartment of Psychiatry, Aksum University, Aksum, EthiopiaObjectives To assess the global prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders (MDDs) among homeless people.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources Databases including PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were systematically searched up to February 2020 to identify relevant studies that have reported data on the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and MDDs among homeless people.Eligibility criteria Original epidemiological studies written in English that addressed the prevalence of depressive problems among homeless people.Data extraction and synthesis A random-effect meta-analysis was performed to pool the prevalence estimated from individual studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were employed to compare the prevalence across the groups as well as to identify the source of heterogeneities. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s quality assessment checklist was used to measure the study quality. Cochran’s Q and the I2 test were used to assess heterogeneity between the studies.Results Forty publications, including 17 215 participants, were included in the final analysis. This meta-analysis demonstrated considerably higher prevalence rates of depressive symptoms 46.72% (95% CI 37.77% to 55.90%), dysthymia 8.25% (95% CI 4.79% to 11.86%), as well as MDDs 26.24% (95% CI 21.02% to 32.22%) among homeless people. Our subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was high among younger homeless people (<25 years of age), whereas the prevalence of MDD was high among older homeless people (>50 years of age) when compared with adults (25–50 years).Conclusion This review showed that nearly half, one-fourth and one-tenth of homeless people are suffering from depressive symptoms, dysthymia and MDDs, respectively, which are notably higher than the reported prevalence rates in the general population. The findings suggest the need for appropriate mental health prevention and treatment strategies for this population group.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e040061.full
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Getinet Ayano
Asmare Belete
Bereket Duko
Light Tsegay
spellingShingle Getinet Ayano
Asmare Belete
Bereket Duko
Light Tsegay
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
BMJ Open
author_facet Getinet Ayano
Asmare Belete
Bereket Duko
Light Tsegay
author_sort Getinet Ayano
title Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
title_short Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
title_full Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
title_fullStr Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
title_full_unstemmed Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
title_sort systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders among homeless people
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
series BMJ Open
issn 2044-6055
publishDate 2021-02-01
description Objectives To assess the global prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and major depressive disorders (MDDs) among homeless people.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources Databases including PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were systematically searched up to February 2020 to identify relevant studies that have reported data on the prevalence of depressive symptoms, dysthymia and MDDs among homeless people.Eligibility criteria Original epidemiological studies written in English that addressed the prevalence of depressive problems among homeless people.Data extraction and synthesis A random-effect meta-analysis was performed to pool the prevalence estimated from individual studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were employed to compare the prevalence across the groups as well as to identify the source of heterogeneities. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s quality assessment checklist was used to measure the study quality. Cochran’s Q and the I2 test were used to assess heterogeneity between the studies.Results Forty publications, including 17 215 participants, were included in the final analysis. This meta-analysis demonstrated considerably higher prevalence rates of depressive symptoms 46.72% (95% CI 37.77% to 55.90%), dysthymia 8.25% (95% CI 4.79% to 11.86%), as well as MDDs 26.24% (95% CI 21.02% to 32.22%) among homeless people. Our subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was high among younger homeless people (<25 years of age), whereas the prevalence of MDD was high among older homeless people (>50 years of age) when compared with adults (25–50 years).Conclusion This review showed that nearly half, one-fourth and one-tenth of homeless people are suffering from depressive symptoms, dysthymia and MDDs, respectively, which are notably higher than the reported prevalence rates in the general population. The findings suggest the need for appropriate mental health prevention and treatment strategies for this population group.
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e040061.full
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