Objective The aim of this study was to explore the effect of depression on pain, disease activity, functional disability and health-related quality of life measured by Visual Analogue Scale, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index, Health Assessment Questionnaire and Short Form-36 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Design Meta-analysis.Data sources The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched for obtaining available studies from inception to 7 March 2023.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies evaluating the impact of depression on pain, disease activity, functional disability and quality of life were included.Data extraction and synthesis Two authors independently screened publications and extracted data according to set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical analyses were conducted with RevMan V.5.3.0. Data were pooled using a fixed-effects or random-effects model according to heterogeneity.Results A total of 13 identified studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting on a total of 1911 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The Visual Analogue Scale score was significantly higher in patients with depression than those without depression (standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.84 (95% CI 0.27 to 1.42), p=0.004). The Health Assessment Questionnaire score was significantly higher in patients with depression than those without depression (SMD=1.05 (95% CI 0.14 to 1.95), p