Childhood neglect predicts the course of major depression in a tertiary care sample: A follow-up study
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Psychiatry
Abstract
The course of depression is poorer in clinical settings than in the general population. Several predictors
have been studied and there is growing evidence that a history of childhood maltreatment consistently predicts a
poorer course of depression.
Between 2008 and 2012, we assessed 238 individuals suffering from a current episode of major depression.
Fifty percent of these (N = 119) participated in a follow-up study conducted between 2012 and 2014 that assessed
sociodemographic and clinical variables, the history of childhood abuse and neglect (using the Adverse Childhood
Experience questionnaire), and the course of depression between baseline and follow-up interview (using the Life
Chart method). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR was used to assess diagnosis at baseline and follow-up
interview. Statistical analyses used the life table survival method and Cox proportional hazard regression tests.
Among 119 participants, 45.4% did not recover or remit during the follow-up period. The median time to
remission or recovery was 28.9 months and the median time to the first recurrence was 25.7 months. Not being married,
a chronic index depressive episode, comorbidity with an anxiety disorder, and a childhood history of physical neglect
independently predicted a slower time to remission or recovery. The presence of three or more previous depression
episodes and a childhood history of emotional neglect were independent predictors of depressive recurrences.
Childhood emotional and physical neglect predict a less favorable course of depression. The effect of
childhood neglect on the course of depression was independent of sociodemographic and clinical variables.
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
neglect, Canada, International Resources, long term effects, depression, risk factors
Citation
Paterniti, S., Sterner, I., Caldwell, C., & Bisserbe, J.-C. (2017). Childhood neglect predicts the course of major depression in a tertiary care sample: A follow-up study. BMC Psychiatry, 17, 113.