Abstract
BACKGROUND: Amphetamine-type stimulant use disorder (ATSUD) contributes to the global burden of disease, notably due to its social, physical, and psychological consequences. Psychiatric disorders are frequently observed among people with ATSUD, while we still do not know their exact global prevalence because of multiple sources of heterogeneity. Here, we propose a protocol for a systematic review and a series of meta-analyses to describe the global prevalence of psychiatric disorders observed in individuals living with ATSUD. METHODS: A pilot systematic search was conducted to develop a protocol for a systematic review and a series of meta-analyses. A final systematic search will be conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL to retrieve, among articles indexed since 1999, prevalence estimates of psychiatric disorders within individuals living with ATSUD. The final systematic review will support multiple separate meta-analyses, each investigating one or more concomitant psychiatric disorders. Diagnosis proportions of psychiatric disorders will be obtained using DSM-IV, DSM-5, ICD-10, and ICD-11 criteria or validated psychometric methods. Risk of bias will be assessed using the prevalence studies checklist from the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool. Proportions of diagnoses will be pooled using random-effect meta-analysis for each psychiatric disorder. Heterogeneity linked to methodological, sociodemographic, and spatiotemporal characteristics will be assessed using subgroup analyses and meta-regressions. DISCUSSION: The pilot search allowed the identification of 10 psychiatric disorders associated with ATSUD and refinement of the final search and meta-analysis protocol. This project will provide one of the first global and comprehensive syntheses of psychiatric disorders' prevalence in people with ATSUD to date, a set of evidence that will contribute to a more adapted and equitable public health response to this epidemic. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework Repository ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FKDJY ).