Table 2.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

PICO component	Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
Population	• Study population including young people (WHO definition: 10–24 years) • Young people (adolescents and youth) in SSA	• Primarily children or adult population • Study population outside 10–24 years • Young people living in non SSA countries
Intervention	• Studies on psychosocial interventions for depression • Intervention aimed at reducing depressive symptoms	• No intervention or pharmacological and other types of interventions • Intervention not focused on reducing depressive symptoms
Comparison	• All types of control arms • Quasi-experimental studies without control groups	• No exclusion based on use or characteristics of control group
Outcome	• Study reports outcome on depressive symptoms • Standardized instruments used to diagnose elevated depressive symptoms	• Study does not report outcome on depressive symptoms • Standardized instruments not used
Study design	• Primary experimental studies using different study designs (not limited to RCTs)	• Systematic reviews and meta-analysis
Others	• Studies reported in English language • Studies published in peer-reviewed journals	• Studies reported in other languages • Not peer-reviewed papers, grey literature¸ non-academic papers (commentaries, editorials, etc.), books, book chapters