Article

Disentangling the causal inter-relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in women: a longitudinal twin study.

Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Psychological Medicine (impact factor: 6.16). 01/2012; 42(9):1801-14. DOI:10.1017/S003329171100300X pp.1801-14
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Negative life events are strongly associated with the development of depression. However, the etiologic relationship between life events and depression is complex. Evidence suggests that life events can cause depression, and depression increases the risk for life events. Additionally, third factors influencing both phenotypes may be involved. In this work we sought to disentangle these relationships using a genetically informative longitudinal design.
Adult female twins (n=536, including 281 twin pairs) were followed up for measurements of negative life event exposure and depressive symptoms. Four follow-ups were completed, each approximately 3 months apart. Model fitting was carried out using the Mx program.
The best-fitting model included causal paths from life events to depressive symptoms for genetic and shared environmental risk factors, whereas paths from depressive symptoms to life events were apparent for shared environmental factors. Shared latent influence on both phenotypes was found for individual-specific effects.
Life events and depressive symptoms have complex inter-relationships that differ across sources of variance. The results of the model, if replicated, indicate that reducing life event exposure would reduce depressive symptoms and that lowering depressive symptoms would decrease the occurrence of negative life events.

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    TheScientificWorldJOURNAL 01/2012; 2012:810341. · 1.66 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

281 twin pairs
 
Adult female twins
 
best-fitting model
 
causal paths
 
depression increases
 
depressive symptoms
 
environmental factors
 
environmental risk factors
 
etiologic relationship
 
genetically informative longitudinal design
 
Life events
 
lowering depressive symptoms
 
Model fitting
 
Mx program
 
negative life event exposure
 
negative life events
 
paths
 
phenotypes
 
reducing life event exposure
 
Shared latent influence