GENDER DISPARITY IN PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AMONG PATIENT POPULATION A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many people are unable to withstand the set point for usual vicissitudes of life and are
overwhelmed by depression, especially when there is a potential stressor like a disease. Gender is very
important in defining susceptibility and exposure to a number of mental health risks. The objective of
this review is to systematically identify, appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on gender
disparity in prevalence of depression among patient populations.
METHODS: Observational analytical studies done on patients of 18 years old were included. The JBI-
MAStARI tool for extraction was used to pool quantitative data. Review Manager Software was used for
meta-analysis and Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
RESULT: On Meta-analysis, a total of 19639 patients were involved, with male to female ratio of 1.14:1.
The finding of the Meta analysis showed that male sex is 63% less likely to develop depression than
female sex (Odds ratio=0.63, 95% Confidence Interval= 0.59, 0.68). The studies included were
homogenous; Heterogeneity test: Chi2 = 309.23, df = 30, (P < 0.00001).
CONCLUSION: Depression is more common among females than male patients.