Global, regional, and national burden of mental disorders among women of reproductive age, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 1943 - 15
• Main Authors: Cheng, Yifan, Zhao, Yutong, Xu, Ziqing, Wang, Shuaibing, Zhu, Jicun, Yang, Qian, Zou, Yuanlin, Li, Tiandong, Liu, Haiyan, Ye, Hua, Shi, Jianxiang, Wang, Kaijuan, Song, Chunhua, Wang, Peng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 26.05.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age groups; Analysis; Anxiety disorders; Bullying; Care and treatment; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Diagnosis; Disability-Adjusted Life Years; Disease; Domestic violence; Eating disorders; Female; Fertility; Global burden; Global Burden of Disease - trends; Global Health - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Infertility; Intimate partner violence; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental health; Mental illness; Mentally ill; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Population; Pregnancy, Complications of; Prevalence; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Prevention; Regions; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia; Software; Spatial disparities; Statistical analysis; Trend analysis; Trends; Variation; Victimization; Well being; Women of reproductive age; Womens health; Young Adult; China; Belarus; Greenland; Latin America; Mental disorders; Spatial disparities; Trend analysis; Women of reproductive age; Global burden
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-23134-z

Women of reproductive age (WRA), a key reproductive group, face mental health issues that impact both their own well-being and that of the next generation. However, research on the burden and trends of mental disorders among WRA remains limited. This study aimed to assess these on a global scale. The data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 were utilized to analyze the age-standardized prevalence, age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and annual average percentage change (AAPC) of mental disorders among WRA from 1990 to 2021, examining variations by region, country, Socio-Demographic Index (SDI), and age group, along with DALYs attributable to risk factors. In 2021, there were 343.22 million cases of mental disorders among WRA, with the highest DALYs among all diseases. From 1990 to 2021, the global burden increased, particularly for anxiety and major depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant variations were observed across regions and countries. The different age groups showed different distributions of subtypes. High SDI regions showed the highest burdens, and the AAPC and SDI exhibit different correlation patterns before and during the pandemic. The burden of bullying victimization rose both before and during the pandemic, while intimate partner violence significantly increased during the pandemic. The burden of mental disorders among WRA remained high from 1990 to 2021, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Variations exist across regions, countries, age groups, and SDI, indicating a need for the development and adjustment of targeted interventions for WRA.