Childhood adversities associated with major depression and/or anxiety disorders in a community sample of Ontario: Issues of co-morbidity and specificity

Resource type
Authors/contributors
Title
Childhood adversities associated with major depression and/or anxiety disorders in a community sample of Ontario: Issues of co-morbidity and specificity
Abstract
It has been well established that early adversity is a major risk factor for depression and for anxiety disorders in various populations and age groups. Few studies have considered the relative strength of these associations and the possible role of co-morbid depression/anxiety in understanding them. Using data from a large community sample of Ontario, Canada, we examined the relative strength of the associations between early physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or parental strain with depression alone, anxiety alone, and co-morbid depression/anxiety. The current sample consisted of 6,597 individuals 15–64 years of age who were interviewed using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Using a multivariate design, we compared early adversity scores across four diagnostic study groups including normal controls, individuals with major depression but no anxiety disorders, individuals with one or more anxiety disorders without major depression, and individuals with co-morbid major depression and anxiety. Individuals with past disorders were considered separately from those with current disorders. For both past and current disorders, highly significant differences in early adversity scores were found across the four study groups. A novel and robust finding, consistent across all analyses, was a marked association between early sexual abuse and co-morbid depression and anxiety but not the “pure” disorders. A strong association between early parental strain and major depression (independent of anxiety) was also found. The overall pattern of results suggest that there may be unique relationships linking particular adversities to particular manifestations of depression and anxiety disorders later in life. A particularly strong association between early sexual abuse and co-morbid depression/anxiety was found. Depression and Anxiety 17:34–42, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Publication
Depression and Anxiety
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
34-42
Date
2003
Language
en
ISSN
1520-6394
Short Title
Childhood adversities associated with major depression and/or anxiety disorders in a community sample of Ontario
Accessed
9/4/23, 9:38 PM
Library Catalog
Wiley Online Library
Rights
Copyright © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Citation
Levitan, R. D., Rector, N. A., Sheldon, T., & Goering, P. (2003). Childhood adversities associated with major depression and/or anxiety disorders in a community sample of Ontario: Issues of co-morbidity and specificity. Depression and Anxiety, 17(1), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10077
Author / Editor