Cited by 1,511Mental Health Treatment and AccessChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentTreatment of Major Depression

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Global prevalence of depression and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Shorey, Shefaly, Ng, Esperanza Debby, Wong, Celine H. J.·2022·British Journal of Clinical Psychology

DOI 10.1111/bjc.12333

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Adolescence is a formative and turbulent phase where physiological, psychosocial, and cognitive changes leave adolescents vulnerable to psychological disorders. Given the lack of reviews that consolidate and compare worldwide prevalence of depression among adolescents, this review aims to examine the global prevalence of major depressive disorders, dysthymia, and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Six databases were searched for studies published from 2001 to December 2020. Seventy-two studies were included. Subgroup analysis were performed for year of publication, geographical region, gender, and assessment tools used. RESULTS: The global point prevalence rate of elevated self-reported depressive symptoms from 2001 to 2020 was 34% (95% CI: 0.30-0.38). Point prevalence for major depressive disorder (MDD) and dysthymia was 8% (95% CI: 0.02-0.13) and 4% (95% CI: 0.01-0.07), respectively. The pooled one-year prevalence and lifetime prevalence for MDD were 8% (95% CI: 0.05-0.12) and 19% (95% CI: 0.12-0.26). Point prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents increased from 24% (95% CI: 0.19-0.28) between 2001 and 2010 to 37% (95% CI: 0.32-0.42) between 2011 and 2020. The Middle East, Africa, and Asia have the highest prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms, and female adolescents were reported to have a higher prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms than male adolescents. CONCLUSION: Besides targeting those with existing clinical depression, research and policies should also focus on educational and supportive mitigation efforts to curb depressive symptoms among adolescents before escalation. The findings encourage future research to develop more gender-specific and culturally relevant intervention programmes. PRACTITIONER POINTS: 34% of adolescents globally, aged 10-19 years, are at risk of developing clinical depression, which exceeds the reported estimates of individuals aged 18 to 25 years. Practitioners are highly encouraged to prioritize depression screening and intervention implementation for individuals in this age group. Female adolescents and adolescents from Middle East, Africa, and Asia have the highest risk of developing depression. This urges practitioners and researchers to develop more gender-specific and culturally relevant intervention programmes.

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“Adolescence is a high-risk period for developing depression, with approximately 34% of adolescents aged 10–19 at risk of clinical depression (3).”
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“Particularly concerning is the marked increase in the prevalence of high depressive symptoms among adolescents, which surged from 24% in the early 2000s to 37% within the next ten years [9].”
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Xu, Y., Wu, F., Yu, S., Guo, Y.-N., Zhao, R., & Zhang, R. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.005 · Cited by 7
Factors associated with severe depressive symptoms among Chinese secondary school students in Hong Kong: a large cross-sectional survey
Leung, D. Y. P., Leung, S. F., Zhang, X., Ruan, J., Yeung, W., & Mak, Y. W. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148528 · Cited by 8
The experience of growing up with a sibling who has depression from emerging adults' perspectives
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“%) of adolescents (Spoelma et al., 2023; Shorey et al., 2021).”
Structural covariance network activity in the medial prefrontal cortex is modulated by childhood abuse in adolescents with depression
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Association of Pain Intensity and Sensitivity with Suicidal Ideation in Adolescents with Depressive Disorder
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Examining the moderating role of depressive symptoms on the dynamic interplay between cognitive reappraisal and rumination: Evidence from experience sampling.
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Fassl, F., Muth, J., Hofleitner, M., & Lüftenegger, M. (2025) · Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung · doi:10.1007/s35834-024-00458-1 · Cited by 8
“The relatively high values in symptom severity emphasize adolescence as a vulnerable period for experiencing depressive symptoms (Daumiller et al., 2023; B. Hankin et al., 1998; Shorey et al., 2022) and highlight the importance of raising awareness of students’ mental health.”
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“This is consistent with a previous meta-analysis showing that the prevalence of depressive symptoms among adolescents increased from 24% between 2001 and 2010 to 37% between 2011 and 2020, surpassing the estimates for 18-to 25-year-olds (Chiang et al., 2024 ; Shorey et al., 2022).”
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“Depression and anxiety disorders can develop in children at any age, from preschool through adolescence, and are common in the general population [1, 2] with increased prevalence among adolescents with chronic diseases [3], particularly those with chronic rheumatologic conditions [4].”
Activation of SIRT1 by Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Attenuates Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress‐Induced Microglia Activation and Iron Death in Depressed Rats
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Leigh, E., Taylor, L., Cole, V. L., & Smith, P. A. (2025) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.058 · Cited by 6
“Given the rise in the incidence of depression during adolescence (Shorey et al., 2022) and the long-term individual and economic burden of the disorder (Greenberg et al., 2023), improving treatment outcomes is a priority.”
Associations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and body roundness index with psychological symptoms in adolescents in mainland China: a national multicenter cross-sectional survey
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“…that the occurrence of psychological symptoms in adolescence hurts academic performance, and there is a significant trajectory effect of this negative impact, which also hurts mental health in adulthood, so the prevention of psychological symptoms in adolescence is particularly important [5, 6].”
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“Similar findings have been observed in studies of older adults in other nations [34].”
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“Globally, a meta-analysis of studies published between 2001 and 2020 found that the prevalence of self-reported elevated depressive symptoms among 10–19 year old’s was 34%, with one-year and lifetime prevalence rates for major depressive disorder of 8% and 19%, respectively [1].”
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“Therefore, in the absence of clinical diagnoses, reliable self-assessment tools are often employed to identify individuals at risk for depression, anxiety, and stress [10].”
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“Further, evidence indicates that the prevalence has been increasing as highlighted by Shorey et al., who reported an increase from 24.0% in 2001–2010 to 37.0% in the subsequent decade(2011–2020) [4].”
Influential
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“Adolescence represents a developmental phase of heightened vulnerability to depression, with 34% of adolescents globally at risk of clinical symptoms [1].”
Adolescents’ perceived school climate, self-reported mental health, and frequency of physical activity: associations and gender differences
Martinsone, B., Ģērmane, E., & Neves‐McCain, J. R. (2026) · Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/frcha.2025.1674304 · Cited by 7
“In contrast, boys are more likely to exhibit externalizing behavioral problems, although recent trends also show a rise in internalized distress among boys (42).”
Interactive effect between sleep and exercise on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents
Zou, S., Deng, F., Tan, W., Fu, Y., Zhang, H., Xu, H., Tao, Y., Tang, X., Tang, X., Xiong, P., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1207243 · Cited by 8
“Using PASS software, we calculated a minimal sample size of 8,165 assuming a prevalence of 30% for depressive symptoms among adolescents (2, 24, 25), tolerance error of 0.”
BackgroundMethod
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“This is particularly concerning in China, where up to 40.1% of high school students show depressive symptoms, and 8% exhibit severe depression [2, 3].”
BackgroundInfluential
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“In contrast, depressive symptoms often involve feelings of hopelessness and anhedonia in daily activities (Shorey et al., 2022), which are closely tied to a sense of career-related loss or failure (Ganson et al., 2021).”
Occipital connectivity networks mediate the neural effects of childhood maltreatment on depressive symptoms in major depressive disorder
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Genes associated with cellular senescence as diagnostic markers of major depressive disorder and their correlations with immune infiltration
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“Although the prevalence of MDD varies among different populations, the overall 12-month and lifetime prevalences are approximately 6-10% and 15-20%, respectively (2 – 4).”
Background
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Associations between keystroke and stylus metadata and depressive symptoms in adolescents
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Could a Growth Mindset Attenuate the Link Between Family Socioeconomic Status and Depressive Symptoms? Evidence from Chinese Adolescents
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Authors: Shorey, S., Ng, E. D., & Wong, C. H. J.
Affiliations: National University of Singapore (SG)
National University Hospital (SG)
Corresponding author: Shorey, Shefaly
ORCID: Shorey, Shefaly
Ng, Esperanza Debby
Venue: British Journal of Clinical Psychology
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2021-09-26
Volume: 61
Issue: 2
Pages: 287-305
ISSN: 0144-6657 (ISSN-L)
2044-8260
DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12333
OpenAlex: W3203726726
Cited by: 1,511
References: 62
Citations by year: 2026: 389 · 2025: 530 · 2024: 370 · 2023: 178 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 1
FWCI: 23.13
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: British Journal of Clinical Psychology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
Keywords: adolescent depression, major depressive disorder, dysthymia, global prevalence, lifetime prevalence, point prevalence, gender differences, regional variation, temporal trends, depression screening, culturally sensitive interventions, mental health policy, adolescent mental health services, school-based mental health services, community mental health services
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Prevalence

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Global prevalence of depression and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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