LIU Lu, JIANG Yunlan, XIE Hongmei, LU Yutong, CHEN Zengli, PENG Hanmei
Objective: To systematically evaluate the influencing factors of depression and anxiety among empty nesters in China. Methods: The Chinese and English databases were searched from the inception to July 2022. The literature screening,quality assessment,and information extraction were performed by 2 researchers independently. RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.0 were used for Meta-analysis. Results: A total of 22 studies with 34 911 participants were included. Among them,the related factors of depression were reported in 19 studies,and the related factors of anxiety in empty nesters were reported in 7 studies. The Meta-analysis suggested that the risk factors for depression among empty nesters were living without spouse [OR=1.39(1.21,1.59)],low frequency of children’s visits [OR=1.49(1.34,1.67)],living in rural areas[OR=1.40(1.22,1.62)],religious belief [OR=2.66(1.68,4.22)],poor self-rated health status [OR=2.16(1.80,2.58)],comorbid chronic diseases [OR=1.39(1.14,1.69)],physical pain [OR=2.09(1.62,2.70)],poor self-care ability in life [OR=2.01(1.22,3.32)],multiple somatic disorders [OR=1.98(1.71,2.29)],and poor economic status [OR=2.43(1.96,3.02)]. The protective factors for depression among empty-nesters were high education level [OR=0.80(0.71,0.90)],living no alone [OR=0.61(0.39,0.95)],physical exercise [OR=0.42(0.29,0.61)],drinking [OR=0.52(0.34,0.97)],and high social support [OR=0.96(0.94,0.98)]. Gender and age were not associated with depression among empty nesters(P>0.05). In addition,the risk factors for anxiety among empty nesters were poor economic status [OR=1.80(1.49,2.19)],living without spouse [OR=1.88(1.35,2.64)],religious belief [OR=2.39(1.74,3.27)],and multiple somatic disorders [OR=2.81(2.05,3.85)]. No significant associations were found among chronic diseases and anxiety in empty nesters(P>0.05). Conclusion: Numerous factors that contribute to depression and anxiety among empty nesters in China. Therefore,preventive measures should be timely taken to lower incidence of depression and anxiety in empty nesters of China.