Depressive symptoms in cancer patients compared with people from the general population: the role of sociodemographic and medical factors

This study examined depressive symptoms in 475 patients with cancer and in a reference group of 255 individuals without cancer from the general population and the associations of those symptoms with sociodemographic and medical factors. Depressive symptoms were measured at 3 months (Time 1) and 15 months (Time 2) after diagnosis. Patients reported more depressive symptoms than the reference group did at Times 1 and 2. Younger age, especially, was related to the onset of depressive symptoms after a cancer diagnosis. Better-educated patients and those with a lower stage of disease reported a greater decrease in depressive symptoms over time. The authors conclude that certain sociodemographic factors may primarily reflect general dysfunction or vulnerability rather than risk factors for developing depressive symptoms after a diagnosis of cancer. < copyright > 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved

Perceived emotional intelligence as a predictor of depressive symptoms after a one year follow-up during adolescence

Research to date has identified various risk factors in the emergence of depressive disorders in adolescence. There are very few studies, however, which have analyzed the role of perceived emotional intelligence in depressive symptoms longitudinally during adolescence. This work aimed to analyze longitudinal relationships between perceived emotional intelligence and depressive symptoms in adolescence, developing an explanatory model of depression following a one-year follow-up. A longitudinal study was carried out with two waves separated by one year, with a sample of 714 Spanish adolescents. The instruments consisted of self-report measures of depressive symptoms and perceived emotional intelligence. Results underlined gender differences in depressive symptoms and emotional intelligence, and indicated that greater emotional intelligence was associated with a lower presence of depressive symptoms after a one year follow-up. A multiple partial mediation model was developed to explain longitudinally depressive symptoms based on perceived emotional intelligence skills and depressive symptoms. These contributions underscore the need to design programs to prevent depression in adolescence through the promotion of emotional intelligence.peer-reviewe

Maternal depression and children's adjustment problems : the role of mothers' affective reactivity

textMothers with depressive symptoms often express more negative emotions than other mothers, react more punitively, and express more frustration (e.g., Belsky, 1984). Paradoxically, mothers with depressive symptoms are also often found to be less, not more, reactive and to express flat rather than negative affect. These mothers are often described as emotionally "flat", unresponsive, and withdrawn (Kochanska, Kuczynski, Radke-Yarrow, & Welsh, 1987). Mothers' depressive symptoms are also associated with problematic parenting, interfering with children's social development (e.g., Goodman et al., 2011). This study investigated the possibility that mothers with depressive symptoms regulate their affect as a coping strategy to minimize distress when facing aversive child behaviors. Using observational and reported longitudinal data from 319 mother-child dyads, we examined how mothers' affective reactivity changes as a function of (a) changes in mothers' depressive symptoms, and (b) changes in children’s aversiveness during the course of the mother-child interaction. Depressive symptoms were associated with mothers' under-reactivity to low aversive child behaviors. Depressive symptoms also predicted rapid increases in mothers' negative reactivity as children's aversiveness increased, and negative over-reactivity to highly aversive child behaviors. Mothers' affective under-reactivity, over-reactivity, and depressive symptoms were all associated with children's adjustment problems over a two-year period. Results suggest that when aversive child behaviors are minimally disturbing, mothers with depressive symptoms minimize child rearing strain by not reacting; when aversive child behaviors are highly disturbing, they do so by resisting and controlling the child. Findings may enable us to understand adaptations that undermine parenting and place children at risk.Human Development and Family Science

Interpersonal Behavior in Couple Therapy: Concurrent and Prospective Associations with Depressive Symptoms and Relationship Distress

Objective: This study investigated associations between couples’ interpersonal behavior, depressive symptoms, and relationship distress over the course of couple psychotherapy. Method: After every other session of Integrative Systemic Therapy (M = 13 sessions), N = 100 individuals within 50 couples rated their in-session affiliation and autonomy behavior using the circumplex-based Structural Analysis of Social Behavior Intrex. Concurrent and prospective associations of interpersonal behavior with depressive symptoms and relationship distress were evaluated via multivariate multilevel modeling using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results: An individual’s hostility, as well as the partner’s hostility, positively predicted an individual’s concurrent depressive symptoms and relationship distress, as well as his or her relationship distress at the following session. Partner hostility during one session predicted an individual’s subsequent depressive symptoms. During sessions in which individuals controlled the partner, and separated themselves from the partner, they reported more concurrent depressive symptoms and relationship distress, and more subsequent relationship distress. When partners separated themselves, individuals reported more concurrent depressive symptoms and relationship distress, and more subsequent relationship distress. Conclusions: Results underscore the importance of couples’ in-session affiliation and autonomy behavior in the treatment of depressive symptoms and relationship distress within couple therapy

Psychosocial Correlates of Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms among Help-Seeking Hispanic Smokers

Objectives: Research has demonstrated robust associations between perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and cigarette smoking. The extent to which these findings from the general population generalize to Hispanic smokers is unknown. The present study examined (a) correlates of perceived stress and depressive symptoms among help-seeking Hispanic smokers and (b) whether maladaptive coping and social support were related to stress and depressive symptoms. Design: Hispanic smokers (N=123) enrolled in an RCT completed demographic and smoking history, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, perceived social support, and maladaptive coping measures. Results: Bivariate associations indicated that perceived stress was positively correlated with depressive symptoms and maladaptive coping, and inversely related to perceived social support. These relationships were maintained in multiple regression analyses. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with nicotine dependence, perceived stress, and maladaptive coping, and inversely related to education and perceived social support. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated independent associations between depressive symptoms and maladaptive coping, perceived stress, and education, but not perceived social support or nicotine dependence. Conclusions: These findings suggest that stress and depression among Hispanics are related to factors known to impact cessation. Recommendations for targeted interventions are discussed

Antidepressant Use and Depressive Symptoms in Intensive Care Unit Survivors

Nearly 30% of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors have depressive symptoms 2-12 months after hospital discharge. We examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms and risk factors for depressive symptoms in 204 patients at their initial evaluation in the Critical Care Recovery Center (CCRC), an ICU survivor clinic based at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Thirty-two percent (N = 65) of patients had depressive symptoms on initial CCRC visit. For patients who are not on an antidepressant at their initial CCRC visit (N = 135), younger age and lower education level were associated with a higher likelihood of having depressive symptoms. For patients on an antidepressant at their initial CCRC visit (N = 69), younger age and being African American race were associated with a higher likelihood of having depressive symptoms. Future studies will need to confirm these findings and examine new approaches to increase access to depression treatment and test new antidepressant regimens for post-ICU depression

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing two Cognitive-Behavioral Programs for Adolescent Girls with Subclinical Depression: A School-Based Program (Op Volle Kracht) and a Computerized Program (SPARX)

Limited research has indicated the effectiveness of the school-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) prevention program ‘Op Volle Kracht (OVK)’ and the computerized CBT program ‘SPARX’ in decreasing depressive symptoms. Therefore, a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of OVK and SPARX was conducted among Dutch female adolescents (n = 208, mean age = 13.35) with elevated depressive symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: OVK only (n = 50), SPARX only (n = 51), OVK and SPARX combined (n = 56) and a monitoring control condition (n = 51). Participants in the first three conditions received OVK lessons and/or the SPARX game. Depressive symptoms were assessed before interventions started, weekly during the interventions, and immediately after the interventions ended, with follow-up assessments at 3, 6 and 12 months. Intention to treat results showed that depressive symptoms decreased in all conditions (F(12, 1853.03) = 14.62, p < .001), with no difference in depressive symptoms between conditions. Thus, all conditions, including the monitoring control condition, were equally effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Possible explanations for the decrease of depressive symptoms in all conditions are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. Dutch Trial Register: NTR3737

Association of prior depressive symptoms and suicide attempts with subsequent victimisation - analysis of population-based data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

Background: Symptoms of mental disorder, particularly schizophrenia, predispose to victimisation. Much less is known about the relationship between depressive symptoms and later victimisation in the general population, the influence of these symptoms on types of subsequent victimisation, or the role of symptom severity. We investigated this in nationally representative data from the UK. Methods: Data were from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. Multivariable logistic regressions estimated association between: a. prior depressive symptoms, and b. prior depressive symptoms with suicide attempt, and types of more recent victimisation. Gender-specific associations were estimated using multiplicative interactions. Results: Prior depressive symptoms were associated with greater odds of any recent intimate partner violence (IPV), emotional IPV, sexual victimisation, workplace victimisation, any victimisation, and cumulative victimisation (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for increasing types of recent victimisation: 1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.89). Prior depressive symptoms with suicide attempt were associated with any recent IPV, emotional IPV, any victimisation, and cumulative victimisation (aOR for increasing types of recent victimisation: 2.33, 95%: 1.22, 4.44). Limitations: Self-reported recalled data on previous depressive symptoms, may have limited accuracy. Small numbers of outcomes for some comparisons resulted in imprecision of these estimates. Conclusion: Aside from severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, previous depressive symptoms in the general population are associated with greater subsequent victimisation. Men and women with prior depressive symptoms may be vulnerable to a range of types of victimisation, and may benefit from interventions to reduce this vulnerability

Childhood maltreatment, psychological resources, and depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer.

Childhood maltreatment is associated with elevated risk for depression across the human lifespan. Identifying the pathways through which childhood maltreatment relates to depressive symptoms may elucidate intervention targets that have the potential to reduce the lifelong negative health sequelae of maltreatment exposure. In this cross-sectional study, 271 women with early-stage breast cancer were assessed after their diagnosis but before the start of adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, endocrine therapy). Participants completed measures of childhood maltreatment exposure, psychological resources (optimism, mastery, self-esteem, mindfulness), and depressive symptoms. Using multiple mediation analyses, we examined which psychological resources uniquely mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms. Exposure to maltreatment during childhood was robustly associated with lower psychological resources and elevated depressive symptoms. Further, lower optimism and mindfulness mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and elevated depressive symptoms. These results support existing theory that childhood maltreatment is associated with lower psychological resources, which partially explains elevated depressive symptoms in a sample of women facing breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. These findings warrant replication in populations facing other major life events and highlight the need for additional studies examining childhood maltreatment as a moderator of treatment outcomes