Life events and depression in women: a structural equation model.
A non-recursive structural equation model designed to examine the reciprocal relationship between life event reports and depressive symptoms in women is presented. The model was fitted to data from a 2-year longitudinal study of life events and depression in a sample of women with 5-year-old children. The findings suggest that life event reports may be influenced by mental state; however, even when this tendency is taken into account, there is still a substantial relationship between life events and depressive symptoms in women. This indicates that it is unlikely that the life events/depression correlation can be explained simply by a tendency for depressed women to over-report life events.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012718:Set, Psychology