Table 3.
Subgroup analysis
| Subgroup factor | Subgroup | Studies | OR (95% CI) | Heterogeneity | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I2 | |||||
| Study design | Cross-sectional | 9 [19, 22–24, 26–28, 30, 34] | 1.73 (1.53–1.95) | 48% | 0.02 |
| Cohort | 8 [20, 21, 25, 29, 31–33, 35] | 1.25 (1.16–1.35) | 43% | 0.06 | |
| Effect measure | RR | 2 [25, 31] | 1.33 (1.16–1.51) | 32.2% | 0.225 |
| HR | 3 [29, 32, 35] | 1.09 (1.05–1.54) | 55.5% | 0.081 | |
| OR | 12 [19–24, 26–28, 30, 33, 34] | 1.30 (1.01–1.76) | 86.7% | 0.0002 | |
| Average age at baseline | < 50 years old | 6 [21, 25, 26, 31–33] | 1.29 (1.10–1.52) | 52% | 0.04 |
| ≥ 50 years old | 11 [19, 20, 22–24, 27–30, 34, 35] | 1.50 (1.31–1.72) | 62% | 0.0003 | |
| Follow-up period (longitudinal only) | < 10 years | 3 [25, 31, 35] | 1.29 (1.05–1.58) | 54% | 0.09 |
| ≥ 10 years | 5 [20, 21, 29, 32, 33] | 1.23 (1.12–1.35) | 45% | 0.08 | |
| Sample size | < 10,000 | 6 [20, 24, 25, 29, 34, 35] | 1.30 (1.20–1.41) | 40% | 0.09 |
| ≥ 10,000 | 11 [19, 21–23, 26–28, 30–33] | 1.63 (1.35–1.96) | 66% | 0.0001 | |
| Diagnostic method | CES-D | 7 [20, 21, 26, 30, 31, 33, 35] | 1.19 (1.07–1.33) | 9.6% | 0.351 |
| PHQ-9 | 3 [22, 24, 34] | 1.62 (1.05–2.48) | 84.7% | 0.001 | |
| HADS | 2[27, 28] | 1.64 (1.30–2.08) | 0.0% | 0.383 | |
| Treated by antidepressants | 3 [21, 25, 29] | 1.40 (1.24–1.57) | 0.0% | 0.422 | |
| Other methods (Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, GHQ, DASS-21) | 4 [19, 23, 32] | 1.05 (0.54–2.04) | 53% | 0.07 |