Staying connected: An umbrella review of meta-analyses on the push-and-pull of social connection in depression

Background: Depression affects approximately 4 % of the global population and has huge social and economic implications. Social factors, including support, engagement, and stigma, play a crucial role in the development and severity of depression.Methods: We provide a synthesis of the consistency and magnitude of the association between measures of social connection and depression. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE and 47 meta-analyses were included in the umbrella review. The strength of the associations was extracted and compared among different populations. The quality/certainty of evidence was assessed using AMSTAR-2 and GRADE tool.Results: Results indicate that social support serves as a protective factor against depression, particularly in peripartum populations, while its impact is weaker in clinical populations. No association was found between social support and depression in post-disaster populations. Stigma and discrimination favour the development and maintenance of depressive symptoms in clinical populations, but have a weaker effect in ethnic minorities.Limitations: The quality and certainty of evidence should be taken into account when interpreting our findings. Further research with more rigorous methodology and higher-quality evidence is needed to better understand the complex relationship between depression and social connection across various populations and contexts. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the role of social determinants in the emergence and severity of depression, particularly in the case of vulnerable populations. Efforts to counteract disconnection at the societal and indi-vidual levels and to reduce stigma should be central to an effective depression prevention agenda.

Automated summary

Social factors play a crucial role in the development and severity of depression. Social support serves as a protective factor against depression, particularly in peripartum populations. However, stigma and discrimination have a weaker effect on depression in clinical populations and ethnic minorities.