The relation between psychological capital and depression: a meta-analysis

Among the protective factors against depression, psychological capital is especially important from the perspective of positive psychology. Although there is accumulating research supporting the negative association between psychological capital and depression, inconsistencies in the way research has operationalized psychological capital and the variability of participant characteristics limit synthesis across studies. The meta-analysis examined the correlation between psychological capital and depression across studies using random effects model. The search use multiple databases including Web of Science, PsycINFO, Pubmed, and ProQuest theses and dissertations. Through literature search, 20 eligible studies were found based on 15,195 participants from 2012 to 2022. The results indicated a moderate negative correlation between psychological capital and depression (r = -0.47) in general. Moderation analysis revealed that the negative association between psychological capital and depression varied by participants characteristics and instrument to measure psychological capital. Moreover, the analysis showed stronger association for the patients with clinical disease group than other group, and stronger association for PPQ than PCQ. However, publication years and age did not moderate the association. Although limited by cross-sectional design, underrepresentation of country, and limited sample size, findings support that intervention targets increase psychological capital may protect against depression.