Risk factors for depression in primary care: Findings of the TADEP project

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 1998-03, Vol.48 (2), p.171-180
• Main Authors: Salokangas, Raimo K.R, Poutanen, Outi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Age Factors; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Discriminant Analysis; Female; Finland - epidemiology; Health Care Surveys; Health Status; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Life Change Events; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Primary care; Primary Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Sampling Studies; Schizophrenia; Socioeconomic Factors
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/S0165-0327(97)00171-7

Background: Depression is a common but poorly recognized disorder in primary care. Knowing risk factors related to depression can help doctors in diagnosing and treating depressive patients. Methods: A random sample of 1643 individuals, aged 18 to 64, attending community health centres in Central Finland, took part in an inquiry with an instrument (the DEPS) measuring their depressiveness. Results: Negative life events, poor physical health, poor marital or other interpersonal relationships, spouse's poor health, poor socio-economic and work situation and problems with alcohol were the major variables explaining the variance of depressive symptoms both in regression and discriminant analyses. Conclusion: In the primary care patients, negative life events, poor physical health, poor marital or other interpersonal relationships, spouse's poor health, poor socio-economic and work situation and problems with alcohol indicate high risk for depression; they also often accumulate in the same patients. The connection between risk factors and depression is stronger in males than in females. Limitation: The assessment of depression is based on the self-fulfilled scale and cannot, therefore, be directly generalized to clinical depression. Because of the cross-sectional study design, it is not possible to make any causal conclusion between risk factors and depression. Clinical relevance: By paying attention to the most general risk factors of depression, general practitioners can become more sensitive in their recognition of depression.