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PSYCHOSOCIAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH LIFETIME COMORBIDITY OF MAJOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS AMONG A COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF MID‐LIFE WOMEN: THE SWAN M ENTAL H EALTH S TUDY
Author(s) -
Cyranowski Jill M.,
Schott Laura L.,
Kravitz Howard M.,
Brown Charlotte,
Thurston Rebecca C.,
Joffe Hadine,
Matthews Karen A.,
Bromberger Joyce T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.21990
Subject(s) - comorbidity , psychosocial , anxiety , depression (economics) , mental health , psychiatry , clinical psychology , prevalence of mental disorders , psychology , medicine , macroeconomics , economics
Background In clinical samples, comorbidity between depressive and anxiety disorders is associated with greater symptom severity and elevated suicide risk. Less is known, however, regarding the long‐term psychosocial impact that a lifetime history of both major depressive disorder ( MDD ) and one or more anxiety disorders has in community samples. This report evaluates clinical, psychological, social, and stress‐related characteristics associated with a lifetime history of MDD and anxiety . Methods Data from 915 women aged 42–52 who were recruited as part of the the S tudy of W omen's H ealth across the N ation (SWAN) M ental H ealth S tudy were used to examine clinical and psychosocial features across groups of women with a lifetime history of MDD alone, anxiety alone, both MDD and anxiety, or neither MDD nor anxiety . Results As compared with women with a history of either MDD or anxiety alone, women with a comorbid history were more likely to report recurrent MDD , multiple and more severe lifetime anxiety disorders, greater depressive and anxiety symptoms, diminished social support, and more past‐year distressing life events. Exploratory analyses indicated that women with a comorbid history also report more childhood abuse/neglect and diminished self‐esteem, as compared with women with a history of either disorder alone . Conclusions Midlife women with a comorbid history that includes both MDD and anxiety disorders report diminished social support, more symptomatic distress, and a more severe and recurrent psychiatric history. Future research is needed to clarify the biological and psychosocial risk factors associated with this comorobid profile, and to develop targeted interventions for this at‐risk group. Depression and Anxiety 00:1‐8, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .