The DOI matches its Crossref record; 62 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Global prevalence of depression and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis
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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In the citing paper
“women have higher prevalence rates of both depression and anxiety problems (Deng et al., 2023; Shorey et al., 2022)”
From Process of change and efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. (2025) · cites this paper as Shorey et al., 2022
In the citing paper
“In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the prevalence of youth mental illness which has coincided with the growing use of social media throughout society.”
From Will restricting the age of access to social media reduce mental illness in Australian youth? (2025) · cites this paper as Shorey et al., 2022
Citations
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Sorted by citations
Lu, B., Lin, L., & Su, X. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.074 · Cited by 357
A Review of Machine Learning and Deep Learning Approaches on Mental Health Diagnosis
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“[18], in their study, stated that 34% of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are at risk of clinical depression, exceeding the estimates of individuals aged between 18 and 25.”
BackgroundKeyes, K. M., & Platt, J. M. (2024) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13864 · Cited by 253
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Depression and internet addiction among adolescents:A meta-analysis
Ye, X., Zhang, W., & Zhao, F. (2023) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115311 · Cited by 153
Metadata
- Authors
- Shorey, S., Ng, E. D., & Wong, C. H. J.
- Affiliations
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- National University Hospital (SG)
- Corresponding author
- Shorey, Shefaly
- 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
- 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
- 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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