Depression In Young Adults Research Articles

Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Suicidality Levels in Young Adults Increased Two Years into the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The severity of both the COVID-19 clinical picture and confinement measures in Slovenia was higher during the initial phase of the pandemic in 2020 than during the Omicron wave in 2022. This could lead us to expect a higher level of distress during the initial phase. On the other hand, prolonged stress can have a detrimental effect on mental health. This study aimed to explore how the prolonged stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying changes affected the mental health of young adults in Slovenia. We analyzed and compared the levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation in young adults during the initial phase of the pandemic and the Omicron wave, as well as between the COVID-19-infected and non-infected individuals. An online survey was used to survey 587 young adults in the first wave (July-December 2020) and 511 in the Omicron wave (January-February 2022). Levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Results show that the Omicron wave significantly worsened depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation. Young adults who had tested positive for COVID-19 reported no worse or only slightly worse mental health than those who never tested positive. The current study provides new evidence about the mental health of young adults during the Omicron wave. Our results show that two years into the pandemic, they expressed more negative emotions and suicidal thoughts than at the beginning.

Depression in young adulthood to midlife and brain aging in midlife: A 30‐year follow‐up of The CARDIA Study

AbstractBackgroundEvidence suggests that depression is a risk factor for dementia in older adults, but the link between depressive symptoms and brain health earlier in life is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms in early adulthood through midlife and brain aging in midlife.MethodsFrom the prospective study of Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults, we identified 649 Black and White participants (age 18‐30 at baseline) with brain MRI and cognitive testing 30 years later (mean age 55, SD 3.5). The participants underwent 6 repeated assessments for depressive symptoms measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES‐D) over 30 years. The CES‐D range is 0‐60, a score of 16 points or more is considered depressed. Cumulative exposure of depressive symptoms was estimated by time‐weighted averages (TWA). We used a previously validated high dimensional neuroimaging pattern analysis, based on machine learning algorithms, that quantifies individual differences in age‐related atrophy using MRI‐derived structural brain characteristics. Linear regression was used to test the association between average cumulative depressive symptoms, brain aging, and cognition, adjusted chronological age, sex, race, education, intracranial volume, and scanning siteResultsEvery standard deviation (5‐points) higher average cumulative depression symptoms was associated with approximately one‐year greater brain age (Table 1). Participants with higher average cumulative depressive symptoms greater than the clinically significant cutoff of 16 points over the 30 years, had on average 3‐years greater brain age (95% CI: 0.74 to 4.96) compared to below the clinical cutoff. Adjusting for anti‐depressive medication use at any time during the follow‐up, slightly attenuated the association (Table 1).ConclusionHigher depressive symptoms across 30 years from early to mid‐adulthood are associated with accelerated brain aging in midlife. This suggests that elevated depressive symptoms in early adulthood can have implications for brain aging as early as in midlife.

P097 Sleep, Fatigue and Depression in Young Autistic Adults

Abstract INTRODUCTION Poor sleep and fatigue are common in autistic adolescents and adults, who also experience increased depression compared with the general population. We examined the relationships between sleep quality, fatigue and depression in autistic young adults. METHOD Participants were 114 autistic young adults (15-25 years) from the Study of Australian School Leavers with Autism baseline survey (n=112; 57.1% male). From the survey we examined relationships between age, sex and the Autism Quotient-Short (AQ-S; autistic traits), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) and the Flinders Fatigue Scale (FFS) using Spearman’s Correlation. We then investigated whether FFS mediated the relationship between the PSQI and HADS-D (PROCESS macro; 1000 bootstrapped resamples). Due to missing data, not all individuals are included in reported analyses. RESULTS 38% (n=83) of participants had depression, 57% (n=94) poor sleep, and 36% (n=73) fatigue. HADS-D was positively associated with PSQI (p<.001) and FFS (p<.001). Increased PSQI and FFS were associated with sex (female) and increased AQ-S (all p<.01). The full mediation model accounted for 25% of variance in depression (p<.001) with a significant indirect effect of sleep quality on depression through fatigue. The direct effect of sleep quality on depression was not significant after fatigue was included in the model. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate poor sleep and fatigue play a role in the maintenance of depression in autism. Further replication in larger and longitudinal cohorts is needed. Like non-autistic individuals with depression, sleep and fatigue may be important treatment targets for treating depression in autism.

Greater variability in daily sleep efficiency predicts depression and anxiety in young adults: Estimation of depression severity using the two-week sleep quality records of wearable devices.

Sleep disturbances are associated with both the onset and progression of depressive disorders. It is important to capture day-to-day variability in sleep patterns; irregular sleep is associated with depressive symptoms. We used sleep efficiency, measured with wearable devices, as an objective indicator of daily sleep variability. The total sample consists of 100 undergraduate and graduate students, 60% of whom were female. All were divided into three groups (with major depressive disorder, mild depressive symptoms, and controls). Self-report questionnaires were completed at the beginning of the experiment, and sleep efficiency data were collected daily for 2 weeks using wearable devices. We explored whether the mean value of sleep efficiency, and its variability, predicted the severity of depression using dynamic structural equation modeling. More marked daily variability in sleep efficiency significantly predicted levels of depression and anxiety, as did the average person-level covariates (longer time in bed, poorer quality of life, lower extraversion, and higher neuroticism). Large swings in day-to-day sleep efficiency and certain clinical characteristics might be associated with depression severity in young adults.

Development of an Auxiliary Platform (Mentali) for the Primary Screening of Anxiety and Depression in Young Adults.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed people's daily routines. This has had a big impact on mental health. In Mexico, medical school authorities are interested in understanding the mental health status of the student population to be able to provide support to students who may need help from a mental health specialist. The aim of this study was to develop a platform comprised of a mobile and web application called Mentali, to be used as an auxiliary tool for the detection of conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as variations in mood, by analysis of the results of validated inventories. Following the Scrum software development methodology, Python, Dart and PHP programming languages were used for development of the application. This platform was used prospectively with 155 first year students taking part in the human medicine program. After 22 weeks, Mentali enabled the identification of 40 users with positive primary screening for anxiety and/or depression (45% for anxiety, 32.5% for both anxiety and depression, and 22.5% for altered mood). These students were contacted and referred to a psychologist; however, only 26 (65%) accepted psychological support. For all of these students a mental health disorder was confirmed. The results support the use of Mentali for the primary screening of anxiety and depression in young adults, including medical students.

Frequency of Depression and Suicidal Thoughts in Young Adults of Pakistan: A Cross- Sectional Study

Objective: To find the frequency and association of depression and suicidal ideation in young adults.Study design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in different areas of Pakistan, including Lahore andKarachi with the main population participating from the Islamabad and Rawalpindi region from May 2016 toAugust 2016.Materials and Methods: Printed and online versions of the questionnaire were filled by conveniently availableyoung adults in different cities of Pakistan between the ages of 15-25 years. Questionnaires were designed inthree parts: Part 1 comprised demographics. Part 2 was the Goldberg Depression Questionnaire which is usedfor depression screening, while Part 3 was the SBQ-R® used to identify individuals having suicide ideation andthose at risk of carrying out a suicide attempt.Results: A high proportion of individuals were in the range of mild-moderate depression, 87 (43.7%), while ahigh proportion of individuals, 139 (69.8%), possessed a suicide score range of 3-6, which corresponds to a verylow suicide attempt risk. The highest suicide score was between 16-18 and was possessed by only 2 (1%)individuals, while the highest depression score, which was any value above 54, was possessed by 45 (22.6%)individuals. Also, with increasing suicide score, the frequency seemed to decrease; 32 (16.1%) for a score rangeof 7-9, 15 (7.5%) for 10-12 score range and 11 (5.5%) for a score range of 13-15. However, the correlationcoefficient between the two had a value of +0.5, so there was a marked positive correlation.Conclusion: The frequency of depression in young adults was considerably high since many of the participantswere exposed to mild, moderate as well as severe depression. Also, there was a positive correlation betweendepression and suicide scores which predicted that depression can be a cause of suicide ideation and attempts.As the depression levels increased, the frequency of suicide tendencies was also salient.
 How to cite this: Anwar P, Salman R, Zahra M, Tufail R, Sohail RS, Arshad L. Frequency of Depression and Suicidal Thoughts in Young Adults of Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study. Life and Science. 2022; 3(4): 168-173. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.233

Treating Young Adult Depression With Text-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Young adults (ages 18 to 25) in the U.S. suffer from the highest rates of past-year major depressive episode and are the least likely to receive treatment compared to other age groups. As such, we examined the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a text-message delivered cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT-txt with young adults. The study was a 2-month pilot RCT to test a 4-week intervention for depression that contained 197 text messages (average 12 texts every other day). The sample, recruited via Facebook and Instagram, was 102 U.S. young adults who presented with at least moderate depressive symptomatology. Assessments occurred at baseline prior to randomization and at 1 and 2 months post enrollment. The primary outcome, severity of depressive symptoms, was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II. Feasibility benchmarks were met and participants reported high levels of engagement with and acceptability of the intervention. Logistic regression indicated that treatment participants were three times as likely to have minimal or mild depression symptoms at 2 months compared to waitlist control participants. Latent change score modeling found that the strongest significant treatment effect appeared at the 1-month follow-up period, particularly for participants who began with severe depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis revealed significant indirect treatment effects of increases in behavioral activation on reducing depressive symptoms, suggesting a mechanism of change. Limitations were that the sample was relatively small and consisted of primarily women. These results provide initial evidence for the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a text-delivered treatment for young adult depression.

Patterns of polyphenol intake and risk of depressive symptomatology in a population-based cohort of older adults

Current evidence suggests that some isolated polyphenols (PP) may exert promising effects for the risk of depression in young adults, however studies among older adults remain limited. The aim of the current study was to examine the prospective association between patterns of PP intake and the risk of depressive symptomatology (DS) in older adults. The study sample was based on the Three-City (3C) Bordeaux cohort of adults aged 65 years and over and without DS at the time of recruitment. The intakes of PP, summarised into 21PP classes, were determined using a 24-h recall combined with the Phenol-Explorer database. In addition, the patterns of PP intake were identified by a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). DS was evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) over a period of 15 years with a reassessment every 2-3 years. The incident DS was reported for CES-D score ≥16 and/or the use of antidepressant treatment. The association between the patterns of PP intake at baseline and the risk of DS was computed using multivariate random-effect logistic regression models. Among the 1074 participants (mean age 75.7y, SD 4.8y), 423 (39.4%) developed a DS during the follow-up. Distinct patterns of PP intake were identified, explaining up to 50% of the variance. The two first patterns, mainly driven by stilbenes and dihydroflavonols and by hydroxyicnnamic acid and alkylmethoxyphenols respectively, were not associated with the odds of DS. Furthermore, a higher score on the third pattern, mainly driven by monomeric flavanols and theaflavins, was associated with a significant 27% lower risk of DS over time (Odd Ratio=0.73, 95% Confidence Interval [0.55; 0.97]). This prospective study suggested that a pattern high in monomeric flavanols and theaflavins intakes, mainly provided by tea, was associated with a reduced risk of DS in older adults. These results provide promising evidence on combined PP intakes that would require further confirmation in other samples.

Association of adolescent and young adult depression and anxiety with perinatal mental health in fathers: Findings from an Australian longitudinal study

The current study examined associations between preconception diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders in adolescence and young adulthood and perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms in early fatherhood. In an Australian community cohort study of health and development, earlier history of MDD and anxiety disorders (extending back to adolescence) were assessed retrospectively in the third trimester of pregnancy via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Paternal perinatal depression and anxiety were then assessed prospectively over three timepoints (third trimester of pregnancy, 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum), using established cut-points on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (anxiety subscale). Mixed-effects regression models examined risk associations between preconception diagnoses of MDD and anxiety disorders, and perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms at each timepoint, adjusting for socio-demographic factors and concurrent maternal mental health difficulties. The odds of clinically concerning levels of paternal perinatal depression and anxiety were 6-fold and 4-fold higher, respectively, in men with a preconception history of MDD. The odds of perinatal depression were 3-fold higher in men with a preconception history of an anxiety disorder. Less evidence was found for an association between preconception diagnoses of an anxiety disorder and perinatal anxiety in fathers. Interventions aimed at improving mental health in men during adolescence and young adulthood may promote continued psychological health in men during early fatherhood.

An Examination of Sleep as a Mediator of the Relationship between Childhood Adversity and Depression in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Young Adults

The current study integrates previous research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term health outcomes to examine associations between ACEs, sleep duration, and depression in a diverse, mostly healthy, sample of young adults. We examine whether sleep duration mediates the association between ACEs and depression among young adults, and whether ethnicity may moderate observed relationships between ACEs, sleep duration and depression. Data were collected from 518 young adults (66.8% female, M age=19.79 years, SD age=3.43 years) enrolled in undergraduate Psychology courses at a large Southwestern university. Participants primarily reported their racial/ethnic background as Non-Hispanic White (60.6%) and Hispanic/Latino (25.1%). Participants self-reported their ACEs exposure, sleep characteristics, and depressive symptoms. In addition to calculating overall exposure to ACEs, scores for the specific dimensions of adversity were also calculated (Abuse, Neglect, Exposure to Violence). Results supported a mediation model whereby higher reports of ACEs were associated with depressive symptoms both directly and through sleep duration. Results were not moderated by ethnicity. Findings provide support for sleep duration as one potential pathway through which ACEs may be associated with depressive symptoms in young adulthood, and suggest that this pathway is similar in Hispanic and non-Hispanic young adults.

1.110 Marijuana Use in Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)-Exposed Young Adults and the Mediating Effect of Family Environment

1.110 Marijuana Use in Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)-Exposed Young Adults and the Mediating Effect of Family Environment

Branched-chain amino acids linked to depression in young adults.

Depression is a heterogeneous mental health problem affecting millions worldwide, but a majority of individuals with depression do not experience relief from initial treatments. Therefore, we need to improve our understanding of the biology of depression. Metabolomic approaches, especially untargeted ones, can suggest new hypotheses for further exploring biological mechanisms. Using the FinnTwin12 cohort, a longitudinal Finnish population-based twin cohort, with data collected in adolescence and young adulthood including 725 blood plasma samples, we investigated associations between depression and 11 low–molecular weight metabolites (amino acids and ketone bodies). In linear regression models with the metabolite (measured at age 22) as the dependent variable and depression ratings (measured at age 12, 14, 17, or 22 from multiple raters) as independent variables [adjusted first for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and additional covariates (later)], we initially identified a significant negative association of valine with depression. Upon further analyses, valine remained significantly negatively associated with depression cross-sectionally and over time [meta-analysis beta = −13.86, 95% CI (−18.48 to −9.25)]. Analyses of the other branched-chain amino acids showed a significant negative association of leucine with depression [meta-analysis beta = −9.24, 95% CI (−14.53 to −3.95)], while no association was observed between isoleucine and depression [meta-analysis beta = −0.95, 95% CI (−6.00 to 4.11)]. These exploratory epidemiologic findings support further investigations into the role of branched-chain amino acids in depression.

Trajectories of temperament from late childhood through adolescence and associations with anxiety and depression in young adulthood

Anxiety and depression are pervasive and pernicious mental health problems for young adults. Developmental trajectories of adolescent temperament (Effortful Control, Negative Emotionality, and Positive Emotionality) may help us predict who will experience anxiety/depression during young adulthood. The present study used longitudinal data from a large, community sample of Mexican-origin youth ( N = 674) to examine how temperament develops across adolescence (age 10–16) and whether the developmental trajectories of temperament are associated with anxiety/depression during young adulthood (ages 19 and 21). Results indicate that Effortful Control, Negatively Emotionality, and the Affiliation facet of Positive Emotionality tend to decrease across adolescence, whereas Surgency tends to increase. Smaller decreases in Effortful Control and greater increases in Positive Emotionality across adolescence were associated with fewer anxiety/depression symptoms during young adulthood, whereas smaller decreases in Negative Emotionality were associated with more anxiety/depression symptoms later on. Thus, temperament development serves as both a protective factor (Effortful Control, Positive Emotionality) and a risk factor (Negative Emotionality) for later anxiety/depression in Mexican-origin youth.

Can emotional states interfere with self-esteem and mental health during pandemic context on health students in low middle-income country?

The university experience is considered a factor that increases stress and affects health of students. Studies have shown distancing measure is associated with depression in young adults. This study aimed to assess the impacts of social isolation on health students due the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a primary study sought to investigate the levels of depression, anxiety and stress by DASS-21, mental components by SF-36, and self-esteem by RSES. The 358 health students accessed the form. The average age was 23.4 years, 75.4% women, and 24.6% men. We divided the selected groups for comparative analysis between academic degree (Undergraduate student-UG/Graduate student-G), gender (Women-W/Men-M) and practitioners of physical activity (Yes-Y/No-N). Principal Component Analysis showed the DASS-21, RSES and SF-36 scales interact into two dimensions that correlate positively and negatively. The findings showed UG suffer greater pressure on mental states than G (W<7166, p-value<0.002). The practice of physical activity was not a factor of difference between any of the anxiety, stress or depression states (W=16012, p-value=0.5205) and intra-group interaction (Chi-square= 22.007, df=20 and p=0.3401) were not significant. We found a high positive correlation between mental health, vitality and social aspects, which might be related to social distancing and self-esteem aspects need answers.

The co-occurrence of multidimensional loneliness with depression, social anxiety and paranoia in non-clinical young adults: A latent profile analysis.

IntroductionLoneliness is a negative experience arising from a mismatch between perceived and actual social relationships. Several dimensions of loneliness have been suggested, namely intimate, relational and collective loneliness. Loneliness has been linked to poorer mental health, with its co-occurrence with depression, social anxiety, and paranoia most widely reported. While expressions of these symptoms are heterogeneous across individuals in the non-clinical population, it remains unclear how these symptoms co-occur with one another and with various dimensions of loneliness. It is also of interest how trait factors such as core schemas about self/others may moderate these relationships between loneliness and co-occurring symptoms.MethodsA demographically diverse sample of young adults was recruited from multiple sources. The validated sample consisted of 2,089 participants (68.4% female), who completed an online survey consisting of questionnaires assessing levels of multidimensional loneliness, depression, social anxiety, paranoia, core schemas, and demographic characteristics. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify distinct profiles of loneliness and the three symptoms. Positive and negative core schemas about self and others were modeled as predictors of these profiles.ResultsFive distinct profiles were identified. Profile 1 had low levels across all symptoms and dimensions of loneliness (n = 1,273, 60.9%). Profiles 2–5 were elevated on dimensions of loneliness, and were heightened in depression (n = 189, 9.0%), social anxiety (n = 206, 9.9%), paranoia (n = 198, 9.5%), and all symptoms (n = 223, 10.7%), respectively. Relative to Profile 1, the other four profiles scored higher on negative-self (adjusted ORs = 1.36–1.49, ps < 0.001) and negative-other schemas (adjusted ORs = 1.24–1.44, ps < 0.001), and lower on positive-self (adjusted ORs = 0.82–0.85, ps < 0.001) and positive-other schemas (adjusted ORs = 0.81–0.90, ps < 0.001).ConclusionMore marked intimate, relational and collective loneliness were evident across profiles that had heightened depression, social anxiety and/or paranoia, suggesting that loneliness may serve as a general risk factor for these psychopathologies. Our findings shed light on the heterogeneity of the co-occurrence of loneliness and various mental health difficulties in non-clinical young adults. Core schemas are suggested to be putative psychological mechanisms underlying their co-occurrence and even development.

Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Incident Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults: Results from a Nationwide Representative Prospective Study.

Background: Although the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and major depressive disorder (MDD) has been studied in adults in cross-sectional and prospective population-based studies, this has not yet been done in adolescents. However, since thyroid function and MDD risk are subjected to maturational processes and ramifications of illness duration over the life span, these findings may not readily transfer to adolescents. Methods: The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and MDD was studied in a representative subsample of the nationwide KIGGS ("The German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents") survey. A total of 4118 adolescents were examined over a median period of 6 years, and data were analyzed by a logistic regression approach accounting for important covariates related to thyroid function and/or MDD risk. The same approach was chosen to investigate the relationship between quartiles of thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels and incident MDD in euthyroid participants to broaden the focus on the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and MDD in a dose-response manner. Results: During the observation period, 121 cases of MDD were reported. There was no association between subclinical hypothyroidism and MDD when comparing 111 adolescents with subclinical hypothyroidism with 4007 euthyroid adolescents, representative of ∼106,000 and 3,610,000 adolescents from the general pediatric population, respectively. This also applied when studying the relationship between quartiles of TSH and fT4 levels and MDD in euthyroid participants. All results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses accounting for thyroid autoimmunity. Conclusions: Consistent with findings in adults, there is no association between subclinical hypothyroidism or quartiles of TSH and fT4 levels in the normal range and MDD in adolescents, despite potential age-related differences regarding thyroid function and MDD risk.

Gray and white matter structural examination for diagnosis of major depressive disorder and subthreshold depression in adolescents and young adults: a preliminary radiomics analysis

BackgroundRadiomics is an emerging image analysis framework that provides more details than conventional methods. In present study, we aimed to identify structural radiomics features of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM), and to develop and validate the classification model for major depressive disorder (MDD) and subthreshold depression (StD) diagnosis using radiomics analysis.MethodsA consecutive cohort of 142 adolescents and young adults, including 43 cases with MDD, 49 cases with StD and 50 healthy controls (HC), were recruited and underwent the three-dimensional T1 weighted imaging (3D-T1WI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We extracted radiomics features representing the shape and diffusion properties of GM and WM from all participants. Then, an all-relevant feature selection process embedded in a 10-fold cross-validation framework was used to identify features with significant power for discrimination. Random forest classifiers (RFC) were established and evaluated successively using identified features.ResultsThe results showed that a total of 3030 features were extracted after preprocessing, including 2262 shape-related features from each T1-weighted image representing GM morphometry and 768 features from each DTI representing the diffusion properties of WM. 25 features were selected ultimately, including ten features for MDD versus HC, eight features for StD versus HC, and seven features for MDD versus StD. The accuracies and area under curve (AUC) the RFC achieved were 86.75%, 0.93 for distinguishing MDD from HC with significant radiomics features located in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex, right superior and middle temporal regions, right anterior cingulate, left cuneus and hippocampus, 70.51%, 0.69 for discriminating StD from HC within left cuneus, medial orbitofrontal cortex, cerebellar vermis, hippocampus, anterior cingulate and amygdala, right superior and middle temporal regions, and 59.15%, 0.66 for differentiating MDD from StD within left medial orbitofrontal cortex, middle temporal and cuneus, right superior frontal, superior temporal regions and hippocampus, anterior cingulate, respectively.ConclusionThese findings provide preliminary evidence that radiomics features of brain structure are valid for discriminating MDD and StD subjects from healthy controls. The MRI-based radiomics approach, with further improvement and validation, might be a potential facilitating method to clinical diagnosis of MDD or StD.

Young Adult Depression, Antidepressant Prescriptions, and Therapy Intensification in People With Incident Depression in the United States.

Objective: To evaluate the temporal trend in young adult depression, prescription patterns of first- and second-line antidepressants, and factors influencing therapy intensification for depression stratified by sex.Methods: A retrospective cohort of people aged ≥ 18 years with incident depression between 2006 and 2017 was extracted from the Centricity Electronic Medical Records.Results: Among 2,201,086 people with depression (82% on antidepressants), the mean age was 47 years, 29% were male, 40% had cardiometabolic multimorbidity, and 32% were diagnosed at age < 40 years (young adult depression). Prevalence of young adult depression increased significantly from 26% to 36% with a higher proportion in females compared to males (34% vs 26%) between 2006 and 2017. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most prescribed first-line antidepressant (56%), with a prescribing rate increase from 47 per 1,000 person-years to 81 per 1,000 person-years. Among first-line antidepressant recipients, 23% had treatment intensification after a median of 17 months. Compared to those aged 60-70 years, younger males and females had a similar significantly higher treatment intensification risk (range of hazard ratio [HR], 1.09-1.46). Cardiometabolic multimorbidity was associated with a 2% (HR CI, 1.01-1.05) and 7% (HR CI, 1.05-1.09) higher treatment intensification risk in males and females, respectively, while anxiety increased the treatment intensification risk by 63% (HR CI, 1.57-1.68) in males and 57% (HR CI, 1.52-1.62) in females. Non-Whites and SSRI initiators had lower risks of treatment intensification (all HR CI < 1).Conclusions: More than one-third of US adults with depression are aged < 40 years with an increasing trend among females. The temporal antidepressant prescribing rates were similar between sex, while significant ethnic disparity in therapy intensification was observed between sex.

A 12 Week Remote Based Physical Activity Intervention In Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) tend to have low levels of physical activity (PA) due to a lack of opportunity or program accessibility. Participation in PA has been linked with positive mental health, which may be particularly beneficial for young adults with ASD who tend to report higher levels of stress and depression compared to their neurotypical counterparts. A remote-based exercise program may be more feasible and accessible to this population, however, no studies have tested such a program. PURPOSE: To determine the impact of a remote-based exercise intervention on stress and depression in young adults with ASD. METHODS: Sixteen participants were separated into a no-exercise control group (n = 6, 25 ± 2.92 yrs) and an exercise intervention group (n = 10, 26.5 ± 4.5 yrs). Individuals in the intervention group participated in two, 45-minute exercise sessions twice a week while the control group continued their usual routine. Self-reported PA levels, perceived stress, and symptoms of depression were assessed pre-post the 12-week program. Independent t-tests were conducted to compare the change in PA levels, perceived stress, and symptoms of depression between the exercise and control groups. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in PA scores (p < 0.001), and a significant decrease in symptoms of depression (p = 0.02) in the exercise intervention group, while neither PA levels or depression scores changed from baseline to post-exercise program in the control group. Neither the exercise intervention nor the control group showed a significant change in perceived stress levels following the end of the program. CONCLUSIONS: The exercise intervention group had a significant decrease in depression symptoms while there was no change in the control group. Participation in a remote-based exercise program may be more accessible to young adults with ASD, while still providing mental health benefits.

Differential exposure to gun or knife violence over two decades is associated with sibling differences in depression.

We tested whether exposure to gun or knife violence over two decades is a cause of depression in young adulthood using data from a nationally representative sample in the United States. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health is a sample of 20,745 adolescents, assessed in 1994-95 with follow-ups in 1995-1996 (n = 14,738), 2001-2002 (n = 15,197) and 2007-2008 (n = 15,701; 24 to 32 years old). At each wave, respondents reported exposure to gun or knife violence and symptoms of depression. Regression and sibling fixed effects analyses were conducted to test whether cumulative exposure to gun or knife violence was associated with depression. In fully adjusted models, greater cumulative exposure to gun or knife violence was associated with more symptoms of depression (b = 0.12, 95% C. I. = 0.05; 0.19, p < 0.01) and higher risk for clinically significant depression in young adulthood (OR = 1.07, 95% C. I. = 1.02; 1.13, p < 0.01). Results replicated in sibling fixed effects models (b = 0.21, 95% C. I. = 0.01; 0.42, p < 0.05). These quasi-experimental data suggest that exposure to gun or knife violence is a cause of depression in young adulthood.