Abstract
PurposeLife events have been associated with a variety of mental health conditions including depression. There is a scarcity of research in South Asia exploring the aetiology of independent and dependent life events and their relationship with depression symptoms. This study aimed, in a Sri Lankan population, to identify the socio-demographic correlates and genetic and environmental influences on independent and dependent life events and their relationship with depression.MethodsQuestionnaire data came from the Colombo Twin and Singleton Follow-up Study, CoTaSS-2 (N = 3969), a population study of Sri Lankan twins and singletons. Lifetime-ever independent and dependent life events were measured using a questionnaire and depressive symptoms using the Revised Beck’s Depression Inventory. Structural Equation Model-fitting analyses explored the genetic and environmental influences on life events and depression.ResultsLiving in a rural environment and financial hardship were associated with greater reporting of independent and dependent life events. Sex differences were evident in the aetiology of life events and depression symptoms. Independent and dependent life events, but not depression symptoms, were heritable in males. Independent life events and depression symptoms, but not dependent life events, were heritable in females. Non-shared environmental influences explained phenotypic associations between independent life events and depression symptoms in both males and females. Genetic and non-shared environmental influences explained the phenotypic associations between dependent life events and depression symptoms in males. Only non-shared environment explained the covariation between dependent life events and depression symptoms in females.ConclusionsSocio-demographic correlates of independent and dependent life events were similar to those reported in Western populations. Life events were associated with increased depression symptoms. Contrary to research in Western populations, we found that non-shared environmental, rather than genetic, influences explained much of the covariation between life events and depression symptoms. This suggests that whilst independent LEs may be heritable, the relationship is unlikely to be confounded by genetic influences and has significant implications for possible interventions for depression.
Highlights
Life events (LEs) are an important component in the development of mental health conditions including depression [1]
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (2020) 55:237–249 despite the disease burden mental health conditions place on Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) [4], research into the role and aetiology of LEs in mental health conditions has been largely restricted to High Income Western populations
This study investigated the prevalence and underlying aetiology of independent and dependent LEs using data from a representative twin and singleton population study based in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Summary
Life events (LEs) are an important component in the development of mental health conditions including depression [1]. Understanding the factors associated with exposure to LEs can be helpful in understanding their relationship with mental health conditions such as depression. The prevalence of depression has been shown to be different in HICs compared to LMICs, prevalence of lifetime depression higher in HICs [6]. It is, possible that a different pattern of effects will be evident in Sri Lanka, a LMIC in South Asia, the setting of the current study
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