Abstract
BackgroundLack of proper consideration of the interaction between biological and environmental factors limits our understanding of the development of depression. Our cross-sectional study investigated whether recent stress influences the effect of affective temperaments on depressive symptoms.Methods1015 general population participants completed the Brief Symptom Inventory to capture depressive symptoms, the List of Threatening Experiences Questionnaire to assess recent stressors, and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire to evaluate affective temperaments (TEMPS-A). Linear regression models were built to investigate the effect of temperament and stress on depression, temperament on stress, and the effect of temperament on depressive symptoms in different stress exposure groups.ResultsRecent life events and anxious, depressive, cyclothymic, and hyperthymic temperaments significantly predicted depressive symptoms, and cyclothymic, and hyperthymic temperaments significantly predicted recent life event exposure. While in case of mild stress all affective temperaments except irritable predicted depression, in case of moderate exposure only the effect of depressive, cyclothymic, and hyperthymic temperament, while in the high exposure group only the effect of anxious temperament was significant.LimitationsAll measures were based on self-report, and subjective impact of life events was not considered. This was a cross-sectional study with a correlational nature which does not allow for causative conclusions.ConclusionsThe contribution of affective temperaments to depression is much higher compared to stress, and severity of exposure to life events influences the impact of affective temperaments on depressive symptoms, pointing to divergent pathways of emotional reactivity mediating the effects of stress on depression which can be exploited for prevention and treatment.
Highlights
Depression is a highly prevalent condition contributing to significant subjective suffering, dysfunction and is predicted to become in the following years one of the illnesses associated with the highest burden [1]
While in the general population depression shows moderate heritability, with genetic variation contributing to 37%–42% of its variation [2, 3], depressogenic distal and proximal life events occur relatively frequently every 3 to 4 years but trigger the onset of depressive symptoms in only about one fifth of those exposed to them [4], implicating that a biological-genetic predisposition is likely to be a prerequisite for the manifestation of depressogenic effects of stress
In our cross-sectional study investigating the effects of affective temperaments on current depression scores in a general adult population sample we found that affective temperaments explained an unexpectedly high portion (46.4%) of current depression scores compared to recent life events (7.8%)
Summary
Depression is a highly prevalent condition contributing to significant subjective suffering, dysfunction and is predicted to become in the following years one of the illnesses associated with the highest burden [1]. In spite of significant and extensive research, we still lack adequate understanding and insight on the development of this disorder, including the role of etiological factors. The nature or nurture debate in case of depression is far from being settled, and the relative contribution of genetics and environmental effects in the etiological interaction, and whether it is different in case of different genes, stressors, or types of depression, is not properly understood. One possible reason for the failure of genetic research in depression in spite of its significant heritability is the lack of proper consideration of interaction between heritable and environmental factors influencing depression [8]. Lack of proper consideration of the interaction between biological and environmental factors limits our understanding of the development of depression. Our cross-sectional study investigated whether recent stress influences the effect of affective temperaments on depressive symptoms
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