title: One-year severity of depressive symptoms: results from the NESDA study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to simultaneously examine a wide range of risk factors and clinical characteristics in their predictive value for the 1-year severity of depressive symptoms. Data from 789 participants in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), a large psychiatric cohort study, with a major depressive disorder (MDD) at baseline were used. Depression severity at 1-year follow-up was studied using linear and multinomial logistic regression models. Results of the analyses showed that high neuroticism, no partner and older age were found predictive of a poorer outcome independent of baseline clinical characteristics. Further, comorbid anxiety disorder, first episode, having a moderate subtype (vs. melancholic), and higher baseline depression severity predicted poorer outcome. To conclude, both risk factors and clinical characteristics independently predicted 1-year severity of depressive symptoms. The findings indicate that the prediction of prognosis and identification of persons at risk of a poor outcome should not only be based on clinical characteristics, but on risk factors as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. f.lamers@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Femke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lamers
authors.forename: Aartjan T F
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Beekman
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.forename: Johannes H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Willem A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Nolen
authors.forename: Brenda W J H
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Penninx
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors