Life events and early onset depression: Cause or consequence?

Abstract

Background. Adverse life events prior to episodes of depression are assumed to play a causal role. Earlier studies have, however, not adequately controlled for the potential confounding effects of previous depression. Method. A two-phase study was nested within a six-wave population based cohort study of 1947 adolescents. Interviews at two assessment phases with the CIS-R and CIDI were used to generate ICD-10 diagnoses of depressive disorder. Life events with longer-term contextual threat were reported for the 6 months before first diagnosis and categorized on the basis of participant appraisal as negative and neutral/positive in effects. Previous depressive and anxiety symptoms were measure..