Child abuse, other early experiences and depression: II. Single episode and recurrent/chronic subtypes of depression and their link to early experiences

Summary

The participants described in Part I of this series of two papers were investigated with respect to the adult onset of DSM-III-R Major Depression and its relationship with child abuse and other early experiences. Those participants with a lifetime experience of Major Depression were classified into (a) a single episode lasting no longer than two years (single episode, S.E.) and (b) either two or more episodes or any episode lasting for two years or more (recurrent or chronic, R.C). Discriminant function analysis revealed that the lack of mother's overprotection, mother's child abuse, father's overprotection, lack of mother's care, and the female sex mainly predicted the onset of Major Depression of any type whereas paternal overprotection, lack of mother's child abuse, and lack of maternal overprotection predicted R.C. than S.E. subtype.