Correlates and Predictors of Recurrent Depression

Abstract

Depression is a recurrent and debilitating disorder affecting nearly 340 million people worldwide. The present study examined what differentiates individuals with a history of one or more major depressive episodes (MDEs) from individuals who have never been depressed as well as examine which of these differentiating factors predict subsequent depressive symptoms during a six-month follow-up. Participants were 108 young adults, ages 18-30 years old. No participant was in a current MDE at time one; 56 individuals had a history of one or more MDE and 46 had no history of psychiatric diagnoses. Those with a history of depression had higher rates of physical abuse in childhood, maladaptive coping styles, and stressors than the never-depressed controls. At the follow-up, number of stressors, dysfunctional attitudes, maladaptive coping, and some forms of early childhood maltreatment interacting with stress predicted depressive symptoms.