Initial symptom levels and the life-event–depression relationship.

Abstract

A sample of 93 persons selected for diversity of initial depression levels was studied longitudinally to explore the relation between stressful events and depression, both assessed with interview and selfreport methods. Previous research has often indicated modest associations but has been limited by methodological issues of assessment, sampling, and design, which are addressed in the present work.Regression analyses and inspection of individual patterns supported the hypothesis that initial depression status is a critical factor in depression-event associations, and concurrent high-impact negative events contribute significantly but modestly to outcomes. It appeared that nonsymptomatic persons were relatively resistant to onset even when exposed to high-impact stress events, whereas a subset of initially symptomatic persons continued to have both more depression and more high-impact events over time. It is suggested that future research on event-depression associations should carefully consider these different outcome patterns: symptom resistance and symptom onset in nondepressed persons and symptom remission and symptom maintenance or recurrence in initially depressed persons.Whereas stress-illness research flourishes in general (e.g., Goldberger & Breznitz, 1982), nowhere is such activity more intense than in the study of depression. In the few years since Brown and Harris's major Camberwell study (Brown & Harris, 1978), numerous studies have investigated the stress-depression relationship (e.g.,

Stress generation in depression: Reflections on origins, research, and future directions

“…One of the studies from the Hammen et al (1985) project was our first to examine, among other hypotheses, the question of whether depression is associated with increased rates of dependent life events. We observed that students who had continuing depression over 6 months were more likely to have dependent event stressors compared to remitted and nondepressed groups (Hammen, Mayol, deMayo, & Marks, 1986). I also acknowledge a great debt to the influence of developmental psychopathology models in general (e.g., Rutter, 1986), and Bowlby's (1969) attachment theory in particular.…”

Stressful Life Events, Depression and Demoralization as Risk Factors for Acute Coronary Heart Disease

“…Hammen et al [32] found that nonsymptomatic persons were relatively resistant to the onset of depression even when exposed to high-impact stressful events, whereas those who were symptomatic continued to have both more depression and more high-impact events over time. In our study, we found recurrent episodes of major depression in 13% of patients.…”

Dependency and self-criticism as moderators of interpersonal and achievement stress: The role of initial dysphoria

“…There is evidence that dysphoric persons respond with more depression following stressful life events than their more fortunate counterparts (Hammen, Mayol, DeMayo, & Marks, 1986;Lakey, Baltman, & Bentley, 1993;Monroe, 1982). Dysphoric persons may interpret events more negatively, respond with diminished social competence; or utilize less effective coping behaviors (Barnett & Gotlib, 1988).…”