The Prevalence and Determinant Factors of Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms Among Elderly People with Visual Impairment Attending an Outpatient Clinic in Ethiopia

Prevalence and factors associated with depression among older adults in the case of a low-income country, Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Depression is among the common mental health problems in late-life and an important public health problem. Studies from both middle- and high-income countries have shown that depression is more common among older people than in adolescents. Many older people with depression are overlooked, and fewer efforts are made to mitigate their suffering. Despite depression being a major public health problem among older adults, its overall magnitude, and its main predictors were not determined for the development of appropriate measures. Hence, the objective of this study was, therefore, to estimate the overall prevalence of depression and identify its predictors among older adults in Ethiopia.

METHODS

Available articles were searched by means of different databases using the PRISMA guideline. The quality of the included studies was assessed using a JBI quality appraisal tool. STATA version 14.0 (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA) statistical software was used to analyze the eligible studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Cochran's Q and the I2 test were used to assess heterogeneity. The presence of publication bias was evaluated by using Egger's test and visual inspection of the symmetry in funnel plots.

RESULT

In this meta-analysis, we included 11 articles that assessed 6521 older adults. The overall prevalence of depression among older adults in Ethiopia was 41.85 (33.52, 50.18). The finding was higher in the Oromia region with a prevalence of 48.07% (95% CI: 35.62, 60.51). The finding also demonstrated that being female (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.63), no formal education (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.19), with chronic diseases (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.00-6.06), and no social support (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.83) were found to be independent predictors of depression in older Ethiopian adults.

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed that almost two out of five older adults had depression. Female sex, no formal education, having chronic diseases, and no social support were the independent predictors of depression among older adults in Ethiopia. The study emphasizes that depression among older adults in Ethiopia calls for appropriate screening and interventions to reduce the occurrence and its overwhelming consequences.

Correlation between global prevalence of vision impairment and depressive disorders

PURPOSE

To assess the correlation of the worldwide prevalence of visual impairment and depressive disorders.

METHODS

This is an ecologic study on Global Burden of Disease 2019 data. Global and national prevalence numbers and rates of vision impairment (VI) and depressive disorders were obtained from database. The human development index (HDI) and socio-demographic index (SDI) were derived from international open databases. Main outcome measures were the correlation of the VI and depressive disorders in total and different age, sex, and socioeconomic subgroups.

RESULTS

In 2019, the worldwide prevalence of total VI and total depressive disorders were 9.6% (95% Uncertainty Interval (UI): 8.0-11.3) and 3.8% (95% UI: 3.4-4.2), respectively. The prevalence rates of total VI (r = 0.38, P < 0.001) as well as cataract (r = 0.43, P < 0.001), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (r = 0.32, P < 0.001), refractive disorders (r = 0.19, P < 0.001) and near vision loss (r = 0.33, P < 0.001) correlated, positively, with dysthymia. In addition, the prevalence rates of glaucoma (r for total depressive disorders = 0.37, P < 0.001 and r for major depressive disorders (MDD) = 0.38, P < 0.001) and AMD (r for total depressive disorders = 0.37, P < 0.001 and r for MDD = 0.28, P < 0.001) had a positive correlation with MDD and total depressive disorders. The correlations remained significant in sociodemographic subgroups.

CONCLUSION

There was a significant correlation between national prevalence rates of VI and ocular disabilities with depressive disorders, worldwide.