The Role Of Religiosity In Families At High-risk For Depression

Background. — About 40 years ago we began a study of the offspring of depressed (high-risk) and not depressed (low-risk) parents, matched for age and gender, from the same community. We interviewed all of their biological children, blind to the clinical status of the parents. Over the years, we returned to re-interview the families at baseline, 2, 10, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years. As the years went by and the sample grew up, we also interviewed the third generation, the grandchildren. As technology became available, we included measures of electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging in order to better understand the mechanisms of risk. At the 10-year follow up, we included measures of religion and spirituality — namely, personal religious/spiritual importance and frequency of religious service attendance. We included these measures in all subsequent waves including a more extensive follow up of religious beliefs at the 35-year follow up

Adult Outcomes Of Childhood Disruptive Disorders In Offspring Of Depressed And Healthy Parents

Background: Longitudinal studies of children with disruptive disorders (DDs) have shown high rates of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and substance use in adulthood, but few have examined the contribution of parental disorders. We examine child-/adulthood outcomes of DDs in offspring, whose biological parents did not have a history of ASPD, bipolar disorder, or substance use disorders. Method: Offspring (N = 267) of parents with or without major depression (MDD), but no ASPD or bipolar disorders were followed longitudinally over 33 years, and associations between DDs and psychiatric and functional outcomes were tested. Results: Eighty-nine (33%) offspring had a DD. Those with, compared to without DDs, had higher rates of MDD (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 3.42, p < 0.0001), bipolar disorder (AOR = 3.10, p = 0.03), and substance use disorders (AOR = 5.69, p < 0.0001) by age 18, as well as poorer school performance and global functioning. DDs continued to predict MDD and substance use outcomes in adulthood, even after accounting for presence of the corresponding disorder in childhood (MDD: hazards ratio, HR = 3.25, p < 0.0001; SUD, HR = 2.52, p < 0.0001). Associations were similar among the offspring of parents with and without major depression. DDs did not predict adulthood ASPD in either group. Limitations: Associations are largely accounted for by conduct disorder (CD), as there were few offspring with ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) was not diagnosed at the time this study began. Conclusion: If there is no familial risk for ASPD, bipolar disorder or substance use, childhood DDs do not lead to ASPD in adulthood; however, the children still have poorer prognosis into midlife. Early treatment of children with DD, particularly CD, while carefully considering familial risk for these disorders, may help mitigate later adversity

Amygdala Atrophy and Its Functional Disconnection with the Cortico-Striatal-Pallidal-Thalamic Circuit in Major Depressive Disorder in Females

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is approximately twice as common in females than males. Furthermore, female patients with MDD tend to manifest comorbid anxiety. Few studies have explored the potential anatomical and functional brain changes associated with MDD in females. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the anatomical and functional changes underlying MDD in females, especially within the context of comorbid anxiety. Methods In this study, we recruited antidepressant-free females with MDD (N = 35) and healthy female controls (HC; N = 23). The severity of depression and anxiety were evaluated by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), respectively. Structural and resting-state functional images were acquired on a Siemens 3.0 Tesla scanner. We compared the structural volumetric differences between patients and HC with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses. Seed-based voxel-wise correlative analyses were used to identify abnormal functional connectivity. Regions with structural deficits showed a significant correlation between gray matter (GM) volume and clinical variables that were selected as seeds. Furthermore, voxel-wise functional connectivity analyses were applied to identify the abnormal connectivity relevant to seed in the MDD group. Results Decreased GM volume in patients was observed in the insula, putamen, amygdala, lingual gyrus, and cerebellum. The right amygdala was selected as a seed to perform connectivity analyses, since its GM volume exhibited a significant correlation with the clinical anxiety scores. We detected regions with disrupted connectivity relevant to seed primarily within the cortico-striatal-pallidal-thalamic circuit. Conclusions Amygdaloid atrophy, as well as decreased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the cortico-striatal-pallidal-thalamic circuit, appears to play a role in female MDD, especially in relation to comorbid anxiety

The Role of Religiosity in Families at High Risk for Depression

Background: About forty years ago we began a study of the offspring of depressed (high-risk) and not depressed (low-risk) parents, matched for age and gender, from the same community. We interviewed all of their biological children, blind to the clinical status of the parents. Over the years, we returned to re-interview the families at baseline, 2, 10, 20, 25 30, and 35 years. As the years went by and the sample grew up, we also interviewed the third generation, the grandchildren. As technology became available, we included measures of electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging in order to better understand the mechanisms of risk. At the 10-year follow up, we included measures of religion and spirituality – namely, personal religious/spiritual importance and frequency of religious service attendance. We included these measures in all subsequent waves including a more extensive follow up of religious beliefs at the 35-year follow up. Issues of Focus: This paper describes the study design and highlights the key findings of the role of religious/spiritual belief in the transmission and endurance of depression using clinical and biological approaches. Methods: We describe study findings based on clinical measures, as well as physiological measures that employed electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Taken together, the findings suggest that religiosity/spirituality is protective against depression in high-risk individuals at both clinical and physiological levels. Implications: The findings suggest religiosity interacts with both culture and biology in its impact on depression

Prospective relationships between patterns of religious belief/non-belief and mental health in adults:A UK cohort study

[No abstract

Religiosity and Depression at Midlife: A Prospective Study

Background: Previously, authors found that a high personal importance of religion and spirituality (R/S) at year 10 was predictive of a 75% decreased risk of recurrence of major depression in a prospective study of adults (mean age at year 20 follow-up = 37.1 years, SD = 6.2 years). Here, the authors follow-up with the original study sample 5/10 years later (mean age at year 25/30 follow-up = 47.5 years, SD = 6.9 years) to examine the association between R/S and major depression in midlife. Method: Participants were 79 of 114 original adult offspring of depressed and non-depressed parents. Diagnosis was assessed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version. Three measures of R/S were included: personal importance of R/S, frequency of attendance at religious services, and denomination. Using logistic regression analysis, the three R/S variables were used as longitudinal predictors and the outcome was diagnosis of MDD. Results: Reported high personal importance of R/S at year 20 was associated at year 25/30 with risk for an initial onset of depression. When stratified by familial risk for depression, frequency of attendance at year 20 was associated with recurrence of depression at year 25/30 in the group at high familial risk for depression. Limitations: Limitations include generalizability and differential rates of frequent attendance between participants retained and those who dropped out. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the relation between R/S and depression may vary across adult development. The preponderance of midlife depression in spiritually-oriented individuals aligns with challenges of midlife

Maternal Religiosity and Adolescent Mental Health: a UK Prospective Cohort Study

BackgroundPrevious research has examined associations between parental religiosity and offspring mental health, but findings are inconsistent, and few studies have focused on late adolescence when mental health problems are more common. This study examines the prospective relationship between maternal religiosity and offspring mental health in late adolescence.MethodsWe used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to examine the prospective association between latent classes of maternal religiosity (Highly Religious, Moderately Religious, Agnostic, Atheist) and self-reported mental health problems including common mental disorders, ICD 10 depression, depressive symptoms, generalised anxiety symptoms, self-harm acts, self-harm thoughts, and disordered eating outcomes at age 17-18 years (n = 7714). We used multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for maternal mental health, maternal adverse childhood experiences, and socioeconomic variables. ResultsCompared with adolescent offspring of parents in the Agnostic class, offspring of the Atheist, Moderately Religious, and Highly Religious classes had increased odds of depressive symptoms ((1.31[1.03,1.67]), (1.26 [0.97,1.65]), and (1.30 [0.99,1.70]), respectively) and offspring of the Highly Religious had increased odds of self-harm thoughts (1.43[1.04,1.97]) and acts (1.31[0.98,1.74]), however some of these results crossed the null. There was no evidence of associations with the disordered eating outcomes or generalised anxiety disorder symptoms.ConclusionsWe found evidence that adolescents whose mothers are Atheist, Moderately Religious, and Highly Religious are more likely to have depressive symptoms than those whose mothers are Agnostic. There was also evidence for an increased likelihood of self-harm (thoughts and acts) amongst adolescents of Highly Religious parents. Further research is needed to examine possible mechanisms that could explain these observed associations as well as a repetition of our analyses in a non-UK sample. <br/