China has been already in the stage of deeply aging society, and the health problems of the elderly are getting more and more attention. Depression in the elderly not only affects the quality of life in later life, but also increases the economic burden on society and families, so early identification of the influencing factors of its development is of great significance. However, the existing research conclusions are still controversial, and there are few relevant systematic reviews in China.

To explore the depression detection rate and its influencing factors in the elderly in China since 2018, provide reference for reducing the incidence of depression in the elderly and promoting healthy aging.

In January 2023, PubMed, EmBase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Date and VIP were searched for publicly available studies on factors influencing depression in Chinese elderly from 2018 to 2022. The data were extracted and the literature quality was evaluated according to the cross-sectional study quality assessment criteria of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Stata 15.0 was adopted for Meta-analysis.

Twenty-three papers were finally included, with a cumulative study population of 75 599, and a total of 13 815 depressed older adults were detected; the AHRQ quality assessment scores of the papers ranged from 5 to 7. Meta-analysis results showed that the detection rate of depression in the elderly in China was 20.6%〔95%CI (16.6%, 24.8%) 〕, female〔OR=1.46, 95%CI (1.30, 1.64) 〕, advanced age〔OR=1.48, 95%CI (1.13, 1.94) 〕, lower education level〔OR=1.52, 95%CI (1.32, 1.75) 〕, no spouse〔OR=1.60, 95%CI (1.35, 1.91) 〕, living in rural areas〔OR=1.38, 95%CI (1.14, 1.66) 〕, suffering from chronic diseases〔OR=2.75, 95%CI (2.07, 3.66) 〕, 2 chronic diseases〔OR=1.84, 95%CI (1.07, 3.14) 〕, 3 or more chronic diseases〔OR=3.86, 95%CI (2.89, 5.15) 〕, poor self-rated health〔OR=3.47, 95%CI (1.14, 10.53) 〕, insomnia〔OR=2.62, 95%CI (1.88, 3.66) 〕, living alone〔OR=1.86, 95%CI (1.56, 2.21) 〕, no exercise〔OR=1.88, 95%CI (1.60, 2.20) 〕, self-care needs or partial needs〔OR=2.96, 95%CI (1.12, 7.85) 〕were risk factors for depression in the elderly (P<0.05), while drinking〔OR=0.67, 95%CI (0.50, 0.88) 〕and having friends〔OR=0.52, 95%CI (0.38, 0.71) 〕were protective factors (P<0.05) .

Although the detection rate of depression among elderly in China has decreased, it is still at a high level, and the elderly in China who are female, elderly, less educated, without spouse, living in rural areas, suffering from chronic diseases and chronic disease comorbidity, with poor self-rated health, suffering from insomnia, living alone, without exercise, and living in need or partial need of self-care may be more likely to suffer from depression.