The scars of childhood adversity: Minor stress sensitivity and depressive symptoms in remitted recurrently depressed adult patients
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In: PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, No. 11, e111711, 13.11.2014.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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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 -