Higher Odds Of Depressive Symptoms Research Articles

Effect of working hours and precarious employment on depressive symptoms in South Korean employees: a longitudinal study

ObjectivesLong working hours and precarious employment are relatively common in South Korea. Since both can impact on mental health, this study examined their independent and combined effects on depressive symptoms...

Serum n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are inversely associated with longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms during pregnancy.

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been hypothesised to be protective for depression during pregnancy. However, there are few data and no consensus regarding this association. In this line, we aim to evaluate if the concentration of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs, and their ratio, are associated with depressive symptoms throughout pregnancy. A prospective cohort of 172 Brazilian women was followed at 5-13th, 20-26th and 30-36th weeks of gestation. The presence of depressive symptoms was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at each pregnancy trimester. Depression was defined as an EPDS score ≥11. The concentrations of n-3 [α-linolenic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] and n-6 PUFAs [linoleic acid; γ linolenic acid; eicosadienoic acid; eicosatrienoic acid; arachidonic acid; docosatetraenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid] were expressed as absolute (μg/ml) values. The total n-6/n-3 ratio was calculated. Statistical analyses were performed using univariate and adjusted random intercept logistic model for each fatty acid (FA) considering the longitudinal nature of data. Covariates were selected as potential confounders based on their biological plausibility of having an association with the concentration of FA and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was high in all pregnancy trimesters (1st = 33.7%; 2nd = 18.9%; 3rd = 17.4%). We did not find differences in means FA concentrations by depressive symptom classification, for each follow-up visit. The women presented a 5% decrease in the odds of having depressive symptoms for each one-week increase in the gestational age. As individual women progressed through pregnancy, higher concentrations of EPA (odds ratio (OR) = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), DHA (OR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93-0.99), DPA (OR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.77-0.99) and total n-3 (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99) were associated with a lower odds of depressive symptoms, while higher total n-6/n-3 ratio were associated with greater odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.09-1.79). We detected a decrease in the probability of depressive symptoms as concentrations of total n-3 FA, α-linolenic acid, DPA, and DHA increased. We also observed a sharper decline for women with initial greater chance of depressive symptoms compared with those with lower chance of having these symptoms. We found a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in low-income Brazilian pregnant women and no significant associations between n-6 FA and depressive symptoms. Lower serum concentrations of DHA, EPA and DPA and a higher n-6/n-3 ratio at each pregnancy trimester were associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms throughout pregnancy.

Editorial: Refining Prevention: Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions.

Editorial: Refining Prevention: Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions.

Genetic sensitivity to emotional cues, racial discrimination and depressive symptoms among African-American adolescent females.

Psychosocial stress, including stress resulting from racial discrimination (RD), has been associated with elevated depressive symptoms. However, individuals vary in their reactivity to stress, with some variability resulting from genetic differences. Specifically, genetic variation within the linked promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) is related to heightened reactivity to emotional environmental cues. Likewise, variations within this region may interact with stressful life events (e.g., discrimination) to influence depressive symptoms, but this has not been empirically examined in prior studies. The objective of this study was to examine whether variation in the 5-HTTLPR gene interacts with RD to predict depressive symptoms among a sample of African–American adolescent females. Participants were 304 African–American adolescent females enrolled in a sexually transmitted disease prevention trial. Participants completed a baseline survey assessing psychosocial factors including RD (low vs. high) and depressive symptomatology (low vs. high) and provided a saliva sample for genotyping the risk polymorphism 5-HTTLPR (s allele present vs. not present). In a logistic regression model adjusting for psychosocial correlates of depressive symptoms, an interaction between RD and 5-HTTLPR group was significantly associated with depressive symptomatology (AOR = 3.79, 95% CI: 1.20–11.98, p = 0.02). Follow-up tests found that high RD was significantly associated with greater odds of high depressive symptoms only for participants with the s allele. RD and 5-HTTLPR status interact to differentially impact depressive symptoms among African–American adolescent females. Efforts to decrease depression among minority youth should include interventions which address RD and strengthen factors (e.g., coping, emotion regulation, building support systems) which protect youth from the psychological costs of discrimination.

Factors Associated with Symptoms of Depression Among Bhutanese Refugees in the United States.

Refugees are at risk for psychiatric morbidity, yet little is known about their mental health conditions. We identified factors associated with depression symptoms among Bhutanese refugees in the US. We randomly selected adult Bhutanese refugees (N = 386) to complete a cross-sectional survey concerning demographics, mental health symptoms, and associated risk factors. The case definition for depression symptoms was ≥1.75 mean depression score on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. More women (26%) than men (16%) reported depression symptoms (p = 0.0097). Higher odds of depression symptoms were associated with being a family provider, self-reported poor health, and inability to read and write Nepali (OR 4.6, 39.7 and 4.3, respectively) among men; and self-reported poor health and inability to read and write Nepali (OR 7.6, and 2.6 respectively) among women. US-settled Bhutanese refugees are at risk for depression. Providers should be aware of these concerns. Culturally appropriate mental health services should be made more accessible at a local level.

C-reactive protein and depression in persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection: the Positive Living with HIV (POLH) Study.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection has been frequently associated with chronic inflammation as well as depression. C-reactive protein (CRP) is positively associated with depression in people without HIV infection. We tested the hypothesis of an independent relationship between CRP and depression in a cohort of HIV-positive people. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 316 HIV-positive people (181 men and 135 women) aged 18-60years residing in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The latex agglutination turbidimetric method was used to measure serum CRP concentrations and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-I method was used to measure depression, with a cut off of ⩾20 indicating likely depression. The relationship between CRP concentrations and depression symptoms was assessed using both multiple linear regression analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis, with adjustment for potential socio-demographic, cardiovascular, life-style, and HIV-related clinical and treatment confounding factors. Twenty-six percent participants (men: 23%; women: 29%) met criteria for depression. In multiple regression analysis, the authors observed a linear relation between serum CRP concentrations and BDI score (beta for 1 unit change in ln(CRP)=1.13, p=0.001) in HIV-positive participants. In a logistic regression analysis, participants with serum CRP levels>3mg/L had a 2.3-fold higher odds of depression symptoms compared to those with serum CRP level⩽3mg/L (p=0.005). In analyses stratified by sex, associations were stronger in men than in women. For example, CRP>3mg/L was associated with a 3.6-fold higher odds of depression in men (p=0.002), while in women the odds ratio was 1.7 (p=0.33). We found a linear relationship between serum CRP concentrations and depression symptoms score in HIV-positive people, and evidence that risk of depression is elevated among HIV-positive men with a high level of inflammation (CRP>3mg/L). Further prospective study to confirm the role of inflammation in depression among HIV-positive people is warranted.

Associations between obesogenic risk and depressive symptomatology in Australian adolescents: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundDepression and obesity are significant health concerns currently facing adolescents worldwide. This paper investigates the associations between obesity and related risk behaviours and depressive symptomatology in an Australian adolescent population.MethodsData...

Thiamine Nutritional Status and Depressive Symptoms Are Inversely Associated among Older Chinese Adults

Thiamine has been hypothesized to play an important role in mental health; however, few studies have investigated the association between thiamine nutritional status and depression in the general population. Concentrations of free thiamine and its phosphate esters [thiamine monophosphate (TMP) and thiamine diphosphate (TDP)] in erythrocytes were measured by HPLC among 1587 Chinese men and women aged 50–70 y. The presence of depressive symptoms was defined as a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score of ≥16. The median erythrocyte concentration (nmol/L) was 3.73 for free thiamine, 3.74 for TMP, and 169 for TDP. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 11.3%. Lower concentrations of all 3 erythrocyte thiamine biomarkers were monotonically associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms: the multivariable adjusted ORs comparing the lowest with the highest quartiles were 2.97 (95% CI = 1.87, 4.72; P-trend < 0.001) for free thiamine, 3.46 (95% CI = 1.99, 6.02; P-trend < 0.001) for TMP, and 1.98 (95% CI = 1.22, 3.21; P-trend = 0.002) for TDP. In conclusion, poorer thiamine nutritional status and higher odds of depressive symptoms were associated among older Chinese adults. This finding should be further investigated in prospective or interventional studies.

Predictors of Depressive Symptomatology Among Rural Stimulant Users

This study examined sociodemographic and drug-related predictors of depressive symptoms among a rural, multistate sample of not-in-treatment stimulant drug users (n = 710). Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling in Ohio, Arkansas, and Kentucky. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure symptoms of depression. Moderate to severe depressive symptomatology was reported by 43.0% of the sample. Cumulative logistic regression analysis showed that daily and nondaily crack use as well as the daily use of cocaine HCI increased the odds of depressive symptoms. Methamphetamine use had no significant association with depression. The daily use of marijuana, the illicit use of tranquilizers, light/moderate cigarette smoking, and injection drug use also increased the risk of depressive symptoms. Living in Kentucky or Ohio (compared to Arkansas), having unstable living arrangements, and being White, female, and older were related to higher odds of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that a host of drug and nondrug factors need to be considered when addressing depressive symptoms in stimulant users.

Associations between physical activity and depressive symptoms in women

BackgroundThe high prevalence of depression in women is an increasing public health concern. Although studies have found associations between physical activity (PA) and depression, little is known about the optimal domain, dose and social context of PA for reducing the risk of depression. This study aimed to investigate associations between specific components of PA (domain, dose and social context) and odds of depressive symptoms in women.MethodsThe sample included 1,501 women, aged 18–65. Analyses were performed using cross-sectional data collected from a mail-out survey in 2004. The survey included self-report measures of PA behaviours and depressive symptoms. Crude and adjusted (age, marital status and physical health) odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for each component of PA and odds of depressive symptoms using logistic regression analyses.ResultsThose who reported more than 3.5 hours leisure-time PA per week had lower odds of depressive symptoms when compared to those who undertook less than this. No other domains of PA (eg. work-related, transport-related or domestic activity) were associated with odds of depressive symptoms. Odds of depressive symptoms were lower among women who reported more than 1.5 hours of moderate-intensity (OR = 0.67, CI = 0.45–0.98) or more than 1.75 hours vigorous-intensity (OR = 0.60, CI = 0.42–0.84) leisure-time PA per week. Being discouraged to be active by others was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 2.28, CI = 1.00–5.16), whilst being active with a family member was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.61, CI = 0.43–0.87).ConclusionAcknowledging the cross-sectional design, these findings suggest that the domain and social context of PA may be more important for mental health among women than simply the total dose of PA.

Contribution of Burnout to the Association Between Job Strain and Depression: the Health 2000 Study

The objective of this study was to investigate the contribution of burnout to the association between job strain and depression. A representative sample of 3270 Finnish employees aged 30 to 64 years responded to the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and the Beck Depression Inventory and participated in the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. High strain compared with low strain was associated with 7.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.6-9.7) times higher odds of burnout, 3.8 (95% CI = 2.8-5.1) times higher odds of depressive symptoms, and 1.7 (95% CI = 1.1-2.6) times higher odds of depressive disorders. The risk for depressive symptoms and for depressive disorders of high strain was reduced by 69% or more after adjusting for burnout. Burnout is strongly related to job strain and may in part mediate the association between job strain and depression.

Moderate to severe depressive symptoms among adolescent mothers followed four years postpartum

Purpose To examine race/ethnic differences in depressive symptoms among adolescent mothers during the first four years postpartum. Methods A prospective study of 623 adolescent mothers, 18 years or younger followed four years after delivery. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). These analyses focused on data collected at 3, 12, 24 and 48 months postpartum. Results Overall, 57% of the sample reported moderate to severe depressive (MSD) symptoms during the four-year period. The steepest increase in the percent reporting new MSD symptoms occurred during the first 12 months after delivery. The prevalence of MSD symptoms was highest at three months (36.7%) and steadily declined through 48 months (21.1%) for all race/ethnic groups with one exception: a slightly higher percentage of African-Americans reported MSD symptoms at 48 (20.0%) than at 24 months (16.9%). Logistic regression analysis used to calculate the relative odds of experiencing MSD symptoms revealed higher odds of depressive symptoms for Caucasians (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–3.4) at three months, and for Mexican-Americans at both 12 (AOR 2.6; 95% CI 1.4–4.8) and 24 (AOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.1–4.4) months. MSD symptoms at three months were significantly related to MSD symptoms at 48 months for all race/ethnic groups ( p < .001). Conclusions More than 50% of adolescent mothers experience MSD symptoms during the first postpartum year. As a group, African-American adolescent mothers appear to have the lowest rates of MSD symptoms, but higher rates of recurrence, when compared with Mexican-Americans and Caucasians.