title: Depression syndromes with risk of alcohol dependence in adulthood: a latent class analysis.
abstract: Using prospectively gathered data, we assessed whether depression is associated a risk for late-onset alcohol dependence, and whether that relationship differed by gender. The baseline interview was completed in 1981 (mean age=41.7 years, standard deviation (S.D.)=17.0, range 18-86) on a probability sample of Baltimore residents as part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program. Between 1993 and 1996, the original cohort was traced (73% of the survivors were re-interviewed, n=1920). Baseline depression items were subjected to gender-specific latent class analyses prior to exploring associations between class membership and two classifications of alcohol dependence: (1) lifetime prevalence, and (2) new onset assessed at follow-up. A depression syndrome class was identified (24% of the females and 20% of the males). The odds of lifetime alcohol dependence among those in the depressive syndrome class was significantly elevated for both sexes, relative to the non-depressed class. However, no appreciable association was found for depressive syndrome with the development of alcohol dependence. In this sample of middle-aged adults, the evidence supports an association for the presence of a depressive syndrome with lifetime alcohol dependence, but not for the new onset of alcohol dependence. Other predictors of alcohol dependence identified in the analyses are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Crum
authors.forename: Carla L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Storr
authors.forename: Ya-Fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013577:Syndrome