Life stressors, social resources, coping, and the 4-year course of unipolar depression.

Abstract

Little is known about the effects of psychosocial factors on the long-term course of unipolar depression. This article examines the 4-year stability and change in life stressors, social resources, and coping, and their effect on the course of treated unipolar depression among 352 men and women. Depressed patients were assessed at treatment intake and at 1-year and 4-year follow-ups. Over the 4 years, patients improved in symptom outcomes, the quality of social resources, and coping responses; there were some declines in life stressors. Life stressors, social resources, and coping were related to patient functioning concurrently, after controlling for demographics, initial treatment, and initial dysfunction severity. Preintake medical conditions and family conflict consistently predicted poorer long-term outcomes. The findings imply that medical conditions and family conflict are important risk factors that predict poorer long-term outcome of depression.

Molecular epidemiology of major depressive disorder

“…Continuing adverse conditions, such as poverty, medical disabilities, and lasting marital discord, have been found to be associated with an increased risk of depression [64][65][66][67]. Breslau and Davis [68] compared chronic stress in women to having a disabled child, and found such experiences to be linked to more lifetime episodes of major depressive disorder but not to higher rates of current depression in such women compared with non-stressed controls.…”

A ‘family affair’? The impact of family psychoeducational interventions on depression

“…Available studies show that the family environment can play an important role in determining the course, and the long-term outcome of major depression [14]. The outcome of depressed patients living in highly burdened families is poorer at 1, 4 and 6 years, when compared with patients with low levels of family difficulties [15][16][17][18].…”

Influencia de los sucesos vitales y el apoyo social en una intervención psicoeducativa para mujeres con depresión

“…Las respuestas son dicotómicas y aunque la escala es muy sencilla, formas similares han sido utilizadas en diversos estudios. 11,37,38 La calificación se obtiene sumando los apoyos con los que cuenta la persona.…”