Reported prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among men who have sex with men in China, 2004–2018: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundDepression is a major mental disorder that imposes a considerable burden on health. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for depression. Numerous studies have reported the prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among MSM in China. However, the estimates have varied substantially between studies. This meta-analysis aimed to establish the pooled prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among Chinese MSM to attract public attention. MethodA systematic search of several electronic databases and a subsequent manual search was performed to identify relevant studies. A random effects model was adopted to calculate the pooled prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms. Heterogeneity between studies and publication bias was also assessed. ResultsA total of 54 articles with a sample size of 21,950 MSM were analysed. The pooled prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among MSM was 40.0% (95% CI: 37.9%-45.0%). Substantial heterogeneity was observed across individual studies. The pooled summary estimate stratified by screening instruments and cutoff scores ranged from 19.0% to 60.2%. Subgroup analysis indicated that survey dates, sampling method, HIV infection status and occupation can partially contribute to the between-study heterogeneity. LimitationsThe findings should be interpreted with caution because of several limitations related to the heterogeneity across studies, sampling method and quality assessment. ConclusionsOverall, the reported prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among Chinese MSM was fairly high. The study suggested that more attention and effective intervention programmes are urgently provided to prevent and improve mental health issues among Chinese MSM.