Variance In Depression Scores Research Articles

Depression and Gender Differences: Focus on Taiwanese American Older Adults

Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data was used to examine gender differences and depression in elderly Taiwanese Americans. There is a paucity of health-related research focused on Asian Americans. This is especially true in the area of mental health. Depression, the most common psychiatric illness in older adults, is under-diagnosed in Asian Americans. A convenience sample of 100 elderly Taiwanese Americans, 47 women and 53 men, was used. Women were older, had higher depressions cores, more physical illness, poorer sleep scores, and less physical activity. Regression analysis indicated that 25% of the variance in depression scores was explained by sleep quality and physical activity.

Factors relating to depression after stroke

Depression is common after stroke and can impede rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to determine which factors predicted the severity of depression at the time of recruitment to a treatment study and depression 6 months later. A questionnaire-based longitudinal study. A total of 123 depressed stroke patients who were between 1 and 6 months post-stroke and had mild to moderate disabilities were recruited to a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioural psychotherapy (CBT) to treat depression (Lincoln & Flannaghan, 2003). At recruitment and at 6 months follow-up, patients (N=112) were assessed on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), Wakefield Depression Inventory (WDI), Barthel index, Extended activities of daily living scale (EADL), Sheffield Screening Test for Acquired Language Disorders (SST) and Recovery locus of control scale (RLOC). Logistic regression showed that greater communication impairment on the SST at recruitment was predictive of severe depression on the BDI at recruitment (OR=0.72, p=.01). Patients with greater communication impairment (OR=0.69, p<.05) and a more external locus of control (OR=0.89, p<.05) at recruitment were more likely to remain depressed at follow-up. Patients who remained depressed at follow-up were more severely depressed at recruitment (p=.001). Locus of control and communication impairment were related to depression. Communication impairment was the strongest predictor of depression severity and prognosis. Mild depression was more likely to resolve. The regression models only accounted for a small proportion of the variance in depression scores. Therefore, further studies of psychosocial factors in a more representative sample are required.

Specialty and sex as predictors of depression in dentists

Stress, burnout, substance abuse and suicide among dentists have been studied, yet no study in the United States has specifically addressed depression in e dentists. The objective of the authors' study was to determine if sex and dental specialty were correlated with depression in dentists. The authors conducted a survey of a sample of dentists chosen randomly from the American Dental Association's mailing list of member dentists. The survey, stratified by sex and specialty, resulted in 560 responses, for a 53 percent response rate. The authors used the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale to measure depression. The authors examined the respondents' sex, age, number of children, marital status, specialty, practice type, location of practice, years in practice and hours worked per week. The rate of depression in the overall sample was 9 percent. Sex was associated with depression (P < .001), but specialty was not. However, multiple regression analysis found that sex was significantly related to depression in only two specialties: periodontics and pediatric dentistry. Overall, the regression model explained an unimpressive 6 percent of the variance in depression scores. The most important finding of the study was that only 15 percent of depressed dentists were receiving treatment. The survey results showed that only female pediatric dentists and periodontists were more depressed than their male counterparts. None of the other variables studied contributed significantly to the understanding of depression in dentists. Depressed dentists, like other depressed people, tend not to seek treatment. Depression and serious depression occur among dentists, and much of it is untreated. Because depression is harmful to dentists and raises quality-of-care issues, they should be educated to help them recognize depression and encouraged to seek treatment.

Loneliness and depression in independent living retirement communities: risk and resilience factors

Socio-emotional selectivity theory posits that as individuals age, they desire less social stimulation and novelty, and tend to select close, reliable relationships to meet their emotional needs. Residence in congregate facilities affords social exposure, yet does not guarantee access to close relationships, so that loneliness may be a result. Further, the gerontology literature has suggested that loneliness in late life may be a risk factor for serious mental health concerns such as depression. This article examined data on loneliness and depressive symptoms from older adults aged 60–98, residing in two age-segregated independent living facilities. Overlap between those scoring in the depressed range on the Geriatric Depression Scale and those scoring more than one standard deviation above the mean on the UCLA Loneliness Scale was less than 50%, although zero-order correlation of the two continuous scores was moderately high. Potential risk and resilience factors were regressed on the continuous scores of the two scales in separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Depression was predicted by being older, number of chronic health conditions, grieving a recent loss, fewer neighbor visitors, less participation in organized social activities and less church attendance. Grieving a recent loss, receiving fewer visits from friends, and having a less extensive social network predicted loneliness. In addition, loneliness scores explained about 8% of the unique variance in depression scores, suggesting it is an independent risk factor for depressive symptoms. Loneliness scores were seen to be more widely dispersed in these respondents, with less variance explained by the available predictors. Suggestions are made for addressing loneliness in older adults as a means of preventing more serious mental health consequences.

Negative problem orientation (Part II): construct validity and specificity to worry

Negative problem orientation, a dysfunctional set of attitudes related to problem-solving ability, has been implicated as a process variable in several psychological disorders, notably depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The goal of the present study was two-fold: (1) to further examine the construct validity of a new measure of negative problem orientation, the negative problem orientation questionnaire (NPOQ), through its relationship to conceptually similar variables, and (2) to investigate the specificity of negative problem orientation to worry, the cardinal feature of GAD, compared to depression. The sample consisted of 148 university students who completed six questionnaires, the NPOQ and measures of worry, depression, pessimism, self-mastery, and neuroticism. Multiple hierarchical regressions revealed that when entered in the last step following demographic information and personality variables (pessimism, self-mastery, and neuroticism), the NPOQ accounted for 5.6% of the variance in worry scores compared to 1.6% of the variance in depression scores. It was concluded that the NPOQ shows evidence of construct validity, and that the process variable of negative problem orientation appears to have greater specificity to worry than depression. Implications for the understanding of worry and GAD are discussed.

Internalized Homophobia: A Factor in Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide in the Gay and Lesbian Population

Two-hundred and twenty participants recruited through multiple sampling strategies completed a self-report questionnaire examining: (a) whether internalized homophobia predicts depressive and anxious symptoms, suicide, and substance abuse; and (b) the periods of gay-identity development which were particularly risky for suicide. Results indicate that internalized homophobia, particularly negative feelings towards one's own homosexuality (as measured by the Self subscale of the Nungesser Homosexual Attitudes Inventory), accounts for 18% of the variance in depressive scores and 13% of anxiety scores (using the Beck inventories). Internalized homophobia did not predict suicide independently from depression. The period of greatest risk for both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was the period of disclosure of one's homosexuality to one's immediate family.

Psychosocial assessment of geriatric subjects in Abha City, Saudi Arabia

Psychosocial assessment of geriatric subjects was carried out through a home-based survey of people aged 65 years and over (n = 810) in the catchment areas of 3 primary health care centres. All the participants had a structured interview and were given a short version of the geriatric depression scale. Depression was found in 17.5% of the subjects, more commonly in women (27.7% versus 12.7%). The combined effect of impaired perceived health status (52.4%) and functional capacity (26.6%), loneliness (4.5%), single status (24.3%), and lack of education (80.5%) explained 23.7% of the variance in depression score by multiple regression analysis. Depression is a problem among the geriatric population in the region, especially women. Periodic home psychosocial screening of geriatrics is recommended.

Depression at 3 Months Poststroke in the Elderly: Predictors and Indicators of Prevalence

The prevalence and determinants of depression in 79 elderly patients were assessed at 3 months poststroke. Predictor variables included gender, age, history of previous stroke, and hemispheric location of stroke. Indicator variables included two measures of physical functioning and seven aspects of cognitive functioning. Results indicated that 56% of patients had impairment in activities of daily living, and 39% reported clinically significant levels of depression. Prevalence of cognitive impairment ranged from 31% on a measure of basic cognitive functioning, through to 89% on a measure of complex attention. The results from a hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that the combination of predictor and indicator variables explained 53% of the variance in depression scores. The three individual variables of history of previous stroke, physical functioning, and simple attention all made significant unique contributions to the variance in depression scores. The contribution of these findings to the ongoing debate concerning lesion location and poststroke depression is discussed.

Sleep and depression in cancer caregivers.

A cross-sectional, correlational design was used to describe and explore the relation between caregiver sleep and depression. For the study, 51 caregivers were recruited from two sites in southern California. Caregivers were primarily white (84%), female (80%), spouses (61%), or adult children (29%), who had provided care for a mean of 16 hours per day for an average of 2 years. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D)and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to measure caregiver depression and sleep, respectively. Most of the caregivers (95%) expressed severe sleep problems, and more than half of them were experiencing depressive symptoms at a level that would suggest risk for clinical depression. Correlations were strongest between caregiver depression and the sleep subscales of overall quality (r = 0.70; p < 0.001), habitual sleep efficiency (r = 0.54; p < 0.001), and daytime dysfunction (r = 0.59; p < 0.001). The final regression model, which included these subscales, predicted 63.6% of the variance in depression scores (F = 27.32; p < 0.001). These findings, which are consistent with results from other studies, suggest that caregivers of persons with terminal illness are at risk for clinical depression. It is critical for nurses to be cognizant of the relation between sleep problems and depression, and to explore interventions that would allow the caregivers to obtain needed sleep without diminishing their ability to function in their role as caregiver.

When Lesbians Aren't Gay

Research on women and depression has neglected to explore how the factors that put women at risk for depression apply to lesbians. The present study examined four of the risk factors consistently cited in the women and depression literature (relationship status, relationship satisfaction, social support from friends, and social support from family), and two unique factors (outness and relationship status satisfaction), to determine their ability to predict depression among lesbians. Data were collected from 167 lesbians between the ages of 20 and 60. Perceived social support from friends, relationship status satisfaction, and perceived social support from family, were found to be significant predictors, accounting for 17.8% of the variance in depression, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression Scale (CES-D). A second multiple regression equation focused on the 110 lesbians who were in committed relationships, using the variables relationship satisfaction, perceived social support from friends, perceived social support from family, and outness, to determine if relationship satisfaction added to the amount of variance which could be predicted in depression. Social support from friends was the only significant predictor in this equation, accounting for 5.8% of the variance in depression scores.

A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Adjustment to Familial Genetic Risk Assessment for Ovarian Cancer

Abstract Objectives. To evaluate the psychological adjustment of women during initial genetic ovarian cancer risk assessment and at clinic follow-up, 6–12 months later. Methods. Sixty-five subjects were assessed with the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory, and an 18-item, investigator-designed questionnaire yielding self-report on screening responses, worry about increased risk, identification of cancer-related deaths in relatives, worry about future cancer risks of daughters, alteration of future plans as a result of ovarian cancer risk, etc. Results. Thirty-three percent of subjects had CESD scores above the established cutoff for depression at baseline and 38% had scores above cutoff at follow-up. Sixteen percent of subjects had state scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory higher than 1 standard deviation above average (norm) at baseline, while only 6% had scores higher than 1 SD above average at follow-up. Conclusion. To identify factors associated with self-reported depression at follow-up, a series of demographic and self-reported variables (e.g., presence of identified problems in family, impact of genetic risk information, concern for daughter in the future) were entered in a multiple regression analysis with the CESD follow-up score as the dependent variable. Only one predictor accounted for a significant amount of variance in depression scores. Concern for daughter's risk in the future was associated with higher depression scores at follow-up ( R = 0.33, P R 2 = 11%).

Perceived role restriction and depressive symptoms in mothers of children with chronic health conditions.

This study examined role restriction in 365 inner-city mothers of 5- to 8-year-old children with chronic health conditions and tested whether it could account for a previously reported relationship between children's functional limitations and maternal psychological distress. Functional limitations in the children were related to maternal role restriction with sociodemographic factors controlled. Children's functional limitations also independently predicted maternal Depression subscale scores in a regression model. Adding role restriction to this model significantly increased explained variance in Depression scores, indicating that it also is directly related to maternal distress symptoms. However, adding role restriction only slightly reduced the impact of functional limitations in the model, suggesting that it plays a small role, if any, in explaining the relationship between the other two variables. Because perceived role restriction independently predicts maternal depressive symptoms and represents a potentially modifiable risk factor, it warrants attention as a useful target for intervention.

Individual differences in appraisal of depression

Abstract This work introduces the Personal Appraisal Inventory (PAI) that was designed to quantify the personal meaning of experiencing a psychiatric disorder. The need to develop this new instrument is discussed and the results of a study with patients diagnosed and receiving treatment for major depression is presented. Specifically, factor analysis of the PAI items and the variance in depression scores explained by these factors is outlined. The findings suggest that the PAI provides a significant inroad to identifying coherent patterns of personal meaning.

A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Adjustment to Familial Genetic Risk Assessment for Ovarian Cancer

Objectives. To evaluate the psychological adjustment of women during initial genetic ovarian cancer risk assessment and at clinic follow-up, 6–12 months later.Methods. Sixty-five subjects were assessed with the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory, and an 18-item, investigator-designed questionnaire yielding self-report on screening responses, worry about increased risk, identification of cancer-related deaths in relatives, worry about future cancer risks of daughters, alteration of future plans as a result of ovarian cancer risk, etc.Results. Thirty-three percent of subjects had CESD scores above the established cutoff for depression at baseline and 38% had scores above cutoff at follow-up. Sixteen percent of subjects had state scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory higher than 1 standard deviation above average (norm) at baseline, while only 6% had scores higher than 1 SD above average at follow-up.Conclusion. To identify factors associated with self-reported depression at follow-up, a series of demographic and self-reported variables (e.g., presence of identified problems in family, impact of genetic risk information, concern for daughter in the future) were entered in a multiple regression analysis with the CESD follow-up score as the dependent variable. Only one predictor accounted for a significant amount of variance in depression scores. Concern for daughter's risk in the future was associated with higher depression scores at follow-up (R = 0.33, P < 0.02, R2 = 11%).

Perceptions of competence and locus of control for positive and negative outcomes: predicting depression and adjustment to college

The relationship locus of control (LOC) and perceived competence have with depression and academic and social adjustment was examined in two studies. In study 1, internal LOC for positive but not negative outcomes was associated with lower levels of depression. Perceived competence, the belief that you can affect outcomes in your life, accounted for additional variance in depression scores beyond that of LOC. In study 2, LOC and competence were examined for their relationship to academic and social adjustment. As in study 1, internal LOC over positive outcomes was associated with better adjustment than internal LOC over negative outcomes. Perceptions of competence explained variance in adjustment scores beyond that explained by LOC. Domain-specific measures of control and competence also contributed to an explanation of both social and academic adjustment. The results contradict previous research indicating that LOC over positive and negative outcomes are both beneficial.

Sociotropy, autonomy, and self-discrepancy : Status in depressed, remitted depressed, and control participants

This study examined the status of sociotropy,autonomy, and self-discrepancy in clinically depressed(N = 28), remitted depressed (N = 20), and controlindividuals (N = 20). Results from the Personal Style Inventory (PSI)and the Selves Questionnaireindicated that depressed, remitted, and controlparticipants differed significantly in their levels ofsociotropy, autonomy, and actual-ideal discrepancy.Results were in the predicted direction with depressedparticipants evidencing the highest levels of thesevariables, remitted participants the next highest, andcontrol participants the lowest. Both sociotropy and autonomy were significantly correlated withactual-ideal discrepancy. Each of the three variablesstudied accounted for unique variance in currentdepression. Together they accounted for 48% of the variance in depression scores. This studyprovides support for the relation of sociotropy,autonomy, and actual-ideal discrepancyto depression, andsuggests a need for greater attention to issues ofavailability and accessibility in the area of depressionresearch.

Depression and Openness to Experience

The relation between depression and Openness to Experience was examined. Self-report measures of personality traits (Revised NEO Personality inventory; Costa & McCrae, 1992a) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979; and Inventory to Diagnose Depression; Zimmerman, 1994) were administered to 143 undergraduate participants from the following 3 groups: current depression (n = 46), past depression (n = 50), and never-depressed controls (n = 47). Depressed participants exhibited significantly higher scores than nondepressed controls on two facets of Openness (Aesthetics and Feelings). Openness to Experience was also found to account for a significant proportion of the variance in depression scores, beyond the variance accounted for by Neuroticism and Extraversion. The facet of Openness to Aesthetics appeared to be most strongly related to depression scores, and the facet of Openness to Fantasy was implicated as a moderator of the relation between Extraversion and depression.

Relations of Depression, Acculturation, and Socioeconomic Status in a Latino Sample

This study investigated the relations among depression, acculturation, and socioeconomic status (SES) in a young-adult Latino sample. Data were obtained from 1,271 Latino first-year college students; 89% self-labeled as either Mexican American or Hispanic, and 11% as Mexican National. Symptoms of depression were compared for various acculturation levels, and bicultural groups with controls for SES and gender. The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II) was used to assess acculturation characteristics. Clinical depression and symptoms of depression were measured using the DSD26 Symptom Scale for assessment of depressive symptoms and major depression. Variance in depression scores was found to be influenced more by gender and SES than by acculturation or ethnic identity status. Assimilated Mexican Americans reported significantly fewer symptoms of depression than their more traditional counterparts. Ethnicity and acculturation per se were not found to lessen or increase riskfordepression, but SES associated with ethnicity wasfound to directly affect depression scores.

Factors associated with depression in a heterogeneous HIV-infected sample

The present study examined factors contributing to depressive symptomatology in a low SES, heterogeneous HIV seropositive sample. The sample was comprised of 120 HIV-infected patients who completed psychosocial measures upon their initial visit to an outpatient HIV clinic. Length of time since HIV seropositive notification and HIV-related symptomatology were also assessed. Social support, major life stress, and HIV-related symptomatology were significantly associated with depression. Perceived availability of social support accounted for the greatest variance in depression scores. Length of time since seropositive notification was not significantly associated with depression. These findings extend previous research with middle-class, homosexual, white males to the rapidly growing minority, heterosexual, and low SES populations and point to the need for the inclusion of social support interventions in the provision of services to these individuals.

Correlates of depression in chronic pain patients: a comprehensive examination

This study examined the relations between depression and demographic, pain-related, and work-related variables in 254 chronic pain patients. Regression analyses were conducted, initially by category (i.e., demographic, pain-related, and work-related), and finally a comprehensive regression analysis was performed, containing the significant independent variables from each category. Among the demographic variables, education level and marital status were related to depression, and an interaction between age and gender was associated with depression, with younger women and older men reporting more depression. Among the pain-related variables, longer duration of pain was associated with increased depression. Among the work-related variables, unemployment was associated with depression, and there was an interaction between work status and litigation status, with working and litigating being associated with depression and not working and not litigating being associated with depression. In the comprehensive analysis, work status, education level, and marital status accounted for a significant amount of the variance in depression scores. These findings, together with future research directions, are discussed.