Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33180149›Full record

ArticleSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2021

Decline of depressive symptoms in Europe: differential trends across the lifespan.

Johannes Beller, Enrique Regidor, Lourdes Lostao, Alexander Miething, Christoph Kröger, Batoul Safieddine, Fabian Tetzlaff, Stefanie Sperlich, Siegfried Geyer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Psychosocial trajectories in Germany across a decade of societal crises.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026
    Article
  4. Depression trends in Europe: sociodemographic differences.European journal of public health · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Johannes BellerMedical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Health Care, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. Beller.Johannes@mh-hannover.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3041-9895
Enrique RegidorDepartment of Public Health and Maternal and Child Health, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Lourdes LostaoDepartment of Medical Sociology, Public University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain.
Alexander MiethingDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Christoph KrögerDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany.
Batoul SafieddineMedical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Health Care, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
Fabian TetzlaffMedical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Health Care, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
Stefanie SperlichMedical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Health Care, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
Siegfried GeyerMedical Sociology Unit, Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Health Care, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft GE 1167/15-1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWe examined changes in the burden of depressive symptoms between 2006 and 2014 in 18 European countries across different age groups.

methodsWe used population-based data drawn from the European Social Survey (N = 64.683, 54% female, age 14-90 years) covering 18 countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) from 2006 to 2014. Depressive symptoms were measured via the CES-D 8. Generalized additive models, multilevel regression, and linear regression analyses were conducted.

resultsWe found a general decline in CES-D 8 scale scores in 2014 as compared with 2006, with only few exceptions in some countries. This decline was most strongly pronounced in older adults, less strongly in middle-aged adults, and least in young adults. Including education, health and income partially explained the decline in older but not younger or middle-aged adults.

conclusionsBurden of depressive symptoms decreased in most European countries between 2006 and 2014. However, the decline in depressive symptoms differed across age groups and was most strongly pronounced in older adults and least in younger adults. Future studies should investigate the mechanisms that contribute to these overall and differential changes over time in depressive symptoms.

Indexed as

DepressionLongevityAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAustriaBelgiumEstoniaEuropeFemaleFinlandFranceGermanyHumansHungaryCompression of morbidityDepressionMental healthPopulationTrend

Identifiers

PMID33180149
PMCPMC8225536

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.