Regular Article
Stressful Life Events Interacting With Cognitive/Personality Styles to Predict Late-Onset Major Depression

https://doi.org/10.1097/00019442-200205000-00009Get rights and content

The current work evaluated the interaction of life stressors with cognitive/personality styles in predicting late-onset depression in 42 elderly outpatients with DSM-IV unipolar Major Depression and 42 nondepressed controls. Control subjects were matched to cases on age, sex, race, and years of education. As suggested by Beck's cognitive theory of depression, a multivariate model indicated that specific stressful-event types interacted with specific cognitive/personality styles in strongly predicting depression onset, adjusting for the positive associations of medical illness and reduced physical functioning with depression.

Section snippets

Subjects

We studied 42 outpatients diagnosed with DSM-IV unipolar Major Depression and 42 matched control subjects over age 65 (mean: 78; SD: 5.7; range: 67–91 years). Control subjects were matched to cases on the basis of age, sex, race, and years of education. Table 1 provides the demographics of the study group; all cases (and matched controls) were white. All participants provided informed consent.

Procedures

Patients were recruited from an outpatient geriatric clinic serving the New Haven, CT, community, and

RESULTS

Table 1 presents t-statistics and chi-square statistics for tests of differences between cases and controls with respect to each of the variables used in this study. Cases did not differ from controls in our sample with respect to the variables used to match cases with controls; that is, age, sex, and years of education; neither did they differ with respect to SES, but cases had significantly poorer physical functioning and were more likely to have had a severe medical illness than controls.

DISCUSSION

Our findings indicate that the effect of stressful life events is modified by cognitive/personality styles in predicting late-onset depression, adjusting for the positive associations of medical illness and reduced physical functioning with depression. Odds ratios for these findings suggest that depression is 6 to 11 times more likely as a function of these interactions. These findings result from a test of Beck's diathesis–stress model of depression, and they support his view that negative

References (45)

  • DC Hughes et al.

    Age differences in life-event qualities: multivariate controlled analyses

    Am J Community Psychol

    (1988)
  • CK Holahan et al.

    Adjustment in aging: the roles of life stress, hassles, and self-efficacy

    Health Psychol

    (1984)
  • MA Phillips et al.

    Impact of psychological and physical health, stressful events, and social support on subsequent mental health help-seeking among older adults

    J Consult Clin Psychol

    (1994)
  • TA Glass et al.

    Stressful life events and depressive symptoms among the elderly

    Journal of Aging and Health

    (1997)
  • S Jacobs

    Pathologic Grief: Maladaptation to Loss

    (1993)
  • CM Mazure et al.

    Cognitive-personality characteristics as direct predictors of unipolar major depression

    Cognitive Therapy and Research

    (2002)
  • AT Beck

    Cognitive model of depression

    Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy

    (1987)
  • N Krause

    Chronic strain, locus of control, and distress in older adults

    Psychol Aging

    (1987)
  • N Krause

    Life stress, social support, and self-esteem in an elderly population

    Psychol Aging

    (1987)
  • JR Rodin et al.

    The construct of control: biological and psychosocial correlates

  • C Hammen et al.

    Sociotropy/autonomy and vulnerability to specific life events in patients with unipolar depression and bipolar disorders

    J Abnorm Psychol

    (1989)
  • CJ Robins

    Congruence of personality and life events in depression

    J Abnorm Psychol

    (1990)
  • Cited by (67)

    • Multidimensional housing insecurity and psychological health: how do gender and initial psychological health differentiate the association?

      2023, Public Health
      Citation Excerpt :

      Given that psychological vulnerability sensitizes one's coping strategies (e.g. worries over being judged as a burden by others),20 people with long-standing vulnerability (e.g. prolonged depressive symptoms) may not be able to cope properly with financial difficulties and excessively internalize their concerns.21 Moreover, one's strong tendency to maintain autonomy and mental health can buffer against stressful events.22 This corresponds to the notion of psychological resilience that helps people to return to prestressor status quickly.23

    • The influence of stressful life events on depression among Chinese university students: Multiple mediating roles of fatalism and core self-evaluations

      2020, Journal of Affective Disorders
      Citation Excerpt :

      Although a relationship exists between stressful life events and depression, not all individuals who experience stressful life events suffer from depression. Therefore, explaining the nature of this phenomenon has remained a key issue in research on depression (Mazure et al., 2002). A popular explanation for the etiology of depression is the diathesis-stress model (Colodro-Conde et al., 2017), which asserts that stress can activate a diathesis, thereby transforming the potential of predisposition into the presence of psychopathology (Monroe and Simons, 1991).

    • Neuroticism Traits Selectively Impact Long Term Illness Course and Cognitive Decline in Late-Life Depression

      2017, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
      Citation Excerpt :

      Biopsychological processes may explain the mechanisms by which elevated VS is an indicator of poor clinical outcome in LLD. Individuals high in VS are described as becoming dependent, hopeless, or panicked when facing trying situations,9 and such maladaptive coping in the presence of psychosocial stressors might perpetuate mood disturbance in LLD.30 Less is known about the neurobiological response to stress in older adults.

    View all citing articles on Scopus

    This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (RO1 MH52905; C. Mazure, PI), and from the National Institute on Aging (P60-AG104), The Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

    View full text