Burden of depression in adolescents in the Western Pacific Region from 1990 to 2019: An age-period-cohort analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study

• Published in: Psychiatry research 2024-06, Vol.336, p.115889-115889, Article 115889
• Main Authors: Li, Zhi-bin, Lv, Jia-jie, Lu, Wei, Yin, Min-yi, Li, Xin-yu, Yang, Cheng-hao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Cohort Studies; Depression; Depression - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Disability-Adjusted Life Years - trends; Epidemiology; Female; Global Burden of Disease - trends; Global Burden of Disease study; Humans; Incidence; Male; Mental health; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Western Pacific Region; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115889

•The study examined trends in the burden of adolescent depression across countries in the Western Pacific Region from 1990 to 2019, utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease study.•The overall prevalence, incidence rates, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with adolescent depression decreased during the 30-year period.•The trends varied among countries and inequality in the depression burden between high-income and low-income countries in the region widened over the study period.•The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions that promote positive youth development to address the concerning increase in adolescent depression. Depression is a highly prevalent and disabling mental health condition among adolescents. The epidemiology of depression in adolescents has been changing over time, reflecting changes in risk factors as well as disease concepts and diagnosis. However, few studies have characterized the longitudinal epidemiology of depression in adolescents. Understanding trends of disease burden provides key insights to improve resource allocation and design targeted interventions for this vulnerable population. The Western Pacific Region (WPR) is home to over 1.3 billion people with tremendous diversity in culture and socioeconomic development. The epidemiology of adolescent depression in WPR remains largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to estimate trends of disease burden attributable to depressive disorders among adolescents aged 10–24 years in WPR countries between 1990 and 2019, and to investigate period and cohort effects using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study database. The study utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019, concentrating on adolescents aged 10 to 24 years with depression. We conducted an in-depth analysis of depression, including its age-standardized prevalence, incidence, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), across diverse demographics such as regions, ages, genders, and socio-demographic indexes, spanning from 1990 to 2019. The analysis found decreasing trends in the prevalence, incidence, and DALYs of adolescent depression in the WPR between 1990–2019, although some countries like Australia and Malaysia showed increases. Specifically, the prevalence of adolescent depression in the region decreased from 9,347,861.6 cases in 1990 to 5,551,341.1 cases in 2019. The incidence rate declined from 2,508.6 per 100,000 adolescents in 1990