Prevalence of depression and anxiety among children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Evaluation of psychiatric disorders in children is essential in timely treatment. Despite individual studies, there is no information on the exact status of psychiatric disorders in children. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression among children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Methods This meta-analysis is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021231491). Several databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed) were searched from January 1, 2000 to December 15, 2020. The key words included: depression, anxiety, children, and diabetes. The steps of search, comprising screening, risk of bias, and extraction of study data, were performed separately by two researchers. Results It was found that a total of 109 studies had been conducted involving 52,493 children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. These studies were included in the present review study. The prevalence of depression, anxiety among children with type 1 diabetes were 22.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.2-25.2], and 17.7% (95% CI 15.2-20.1), respectively. The prevalence of depression was higher among girls (29.7%) than boys (19.7%). The prevalence of depression was higher in lower-middle-income countries at 29.3% (95% CI 18.6-40.0). The prevalence of depression among children with type 2 diabetes was 22.7% (95% CI 17.3-28.0). Conclusion The results of the present study indicate the importance of paying attention to extensive periodic screening and appropriate activities to reduce pediatric depression.