Background

Prevalence figures of major depressive disorder (MDD) in children and adolescents across various epidemiological studies have been inconclusive. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the pooled prevalence of MDD and its associated factors in children and adolescents in China.

Method

A systematic review and literature search were conducted covering PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Internet, WANFANG Data and SinoMed) to identify studies reporting the prevalence of MDD in children and adolescents in China. The pooled prevalence estimates and associated factors were examined using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program, Version 2.

Results

Fourteen studies involving 82,592 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled point prevalence of MDD in Chinese children and adolescents was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.8%–2.0%). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that diagnostic criteria, age, year of survey and study quality were significantly associated with the prevalence of MDD.

Conclusions

The point prevalence of MDD in children and adolescents in China is similar to worldwide figures. Further national epidemiological studies with the view of developing effective intervention strategies should be considered.