TY - JOUR

T1 - The scars of childhood adversity

T2 - Minor stress sensitivity and depressive symptoms in remitted recurrently depressed adult patients

AU - Kok, Gemma

AU - Van Rijsbergen, Gerard

AU - Burger, Huibert

AU - Elgersma, Hermien

AU - Riper, Heleen

AU - Cuijpers, Pim

AU - Dekker, Jack

AU - Smit, Filip

AU - Bockting, Claudi

PY - 2014/11/13

Y1 - 2014/11/13

N2 - Background: Childhood adversity may lead to depressive relapse through its long-lasting influence on stress sensitivity. In line with the stress sensitization hypothesis, minor (daily) stress is associated with depressive relapse. Therefore, we examine the impact of childhood adversity on daily stress and its predictive value on prospectively assessed depressive symptoms in recurrently depressed patients.Method: Daily stress was assessed in recurrently depressed adult patients, enrolled into two randomized trials while remitted. The reported intensity and frequency of dependent and independent daily stress was assessed at baseline. Independent stress is externally generated, for example an accident happening to a friend, while dependent stress is internally generated, for example getting into a fight with a neighbor. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed with childhood adversity, independent and dependent daily stress as predictor variables of prospectively measured depressive symptoms after three months of follow-up (n = 138).Results: We found that childhood adversity was not significantly associated with a higher frequency and intensity of daily stress. The intensity of both independent and dependent daily stress was predictive of depressive symptom levels at followup (unadjusted models respectively: B = 0.47, t = 2.05, p = 0.041, 95% CI = 0.02-0.92; B = 0.29, t = 2.20, p = 0.028, 95% CI = 0.03-0.55). No associations were found between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms at follow-up.Conclusion: No evidence was found supporting stress sensitization due to the experience of childhood adversity in this recurrently depressed but remitted patient group. Nevertheless, our research indicates that daily stress might be a target for preventive treatment.

AB - Background: Childhood adversity may lead to depressive relapse through its long-lasting influence on stress sensitivity. In line with the stress sensitization hypothesis, minor (daily) stress is associated with depressive relapse. Therefore, we examine the impact of childhood adversity on daily stress and its predictive value on prospectively assessed depressive symptoms in recurrently depressed patients.Method: Daily stress was assessed in recurrently depressed adult patients, enrolled into two randomized trials while remitted. The reported intensity and frequency of dependent and independent daily stress was assessed at baseline. Independent stress is externally generated, for example an accident happening to a friend, while dependent stress is internally generated, for example getting into a fight with a neighbor. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed with childhood adversity, independent and dependent daily stress as predictor variables of prospectively measured depressive symptoms after three months of follow-up (n = 138).Results: We found that childhood adversity was not significantly associated with a higher frequency and intensity of daily stress. The intensity of both independent and dependent daily stress was predictive of depressive symptom levels at followup (unadjusted models respectively: B = 0.47, t = 2.05, p = 0.041, 95% CI = 0.02-0.92; B = 0.29, t = 2.20, p = 0.028, 95% CI = 0.03-0.55). No associations were found between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms at follow-up.Conclusion: No evidence was found supporting stress sensitization due to the experience of childhood adversity in this recurrently depressed but remitted patient group. Nevertheless, our research indicates that daily stress might be a target for preventive treatment.

KW - Psychology

KW - Health sciences

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84911912371&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0111711

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0111711

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 25393812

AN - SCOPUS:84911912371

VL - 9

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

SN - 1932-6203

IS - 11

M1 - e111711

ER -