The association between vestibular-related symptoms and depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Vestibular-related symptoms are increasingly recognized as being significantly associated with depressive symptoms, yet the strength and consistency of this association remain unclear due to conflicting evidence across studies. It is also uncertain whether this relationship reflects general psychological distress or is specific to clinically significant depressive symptoms. To conduct the first systematic review and meta-analysis examining the strength and consistency of the association between various vestibular-related symptoms and depressive symptoms.

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, and EBSCOhost from inception to August 2025. Observational studies assessing vestibular-related symptoms and depressive symptoms using validated tools were included. Data were pooled using random-effects models to estimate correlation coefficients (r).

Heterogeneity was quantified with I², and subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias assessments were performed. Twenty-four studies involving 4067 participants were included. Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant positive correlation of moderate magnitude between vestibular-related symptoms and depressive symptoms (r = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.38-0.50, p