High prevalence of depression in parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes in a meta-analysis of data from five continents

Aim: This meta-analysis identified the prevalence of depression in parents of children with Type 1 diabetes.

Methods: MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases were searched for papers published in English from 1980 to May 2022, yielding 18 studies (N = 2044 participants). The prevalence of parental depression was pooled across the studies.

Results: The prevalence of depression among parents of children with Type 1 diabetes was high. Random-effects meta-analyses estimated the prevalence of moderate depression and above in the total sample as 18.4% (95% CI 12.8–24.6; k = 17, N = 2044), with rates of 17.3% in mothers (95% CI 12.7–22.5; k = 12, N = 1106) and 9% in fathers (95% CI 4.3–15.1; k = 6, N = 199). The estimated prevalence of mild depression and above in the total sample was 32.7% (95% CI 20.3–46.6; k = 8, N = 797), with rates of 29.4% in mothers (95% CI 17.8–42.6; k = 4 N = 330) and 13.6% in fathers (95% CI 5.2–25.2; k = 2 N = 44). All results were characterised by high levels of heterogeneity. The risk of publication bias was low.

Conclusion: More than 1 in 6 parents of children with Type 1 diabetes had depression in the moderate plus category. The limitations and implications of these results are discussed.