title: Ecstasy use and depression: a 4-year longitudinal study among an Australian general community sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Longitudinal, population-based studies can better assess the relationship of ecstasy use with depression.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether change in ecstasy use was associated with change in depressive symptoms/probable depression over a 4-year period, among a large Australian sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Personality and Total Health project is a longitudinal general community study of Australians from Canberra and Queanbeyan. Data from the youngest cohort when aged 24-30 (N = 2, 128) and 4 years later (N = 1, 977) was included. The Goldberg depression scale and the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire measured depressive symptoms and probable depression, respectively. Multilevel growth models also considered demographics, psychosocial characteristics, and other drug use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ecstasy use was not associated with long-term depressive symptoms or greater odds of depression in multivariate analyses. Users had more self-reported depressive symptoms when using ecstasy compared to not using. However, differences between people who had and had not ever used ecstasy largely accounted for this. Other factors were more important in the prediction of depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It would be premature to conclude that ecstasy use is not related to the development of long-term depressive symptoms, given the relatively low level of ecstasy and other drug use in this community sample. Results showed that other factors need to be considered when investigating ecstasy use and depression.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Psychology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 2601, amanda.george@canberra.edu.au.
authors.forename: Amanda M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olesen
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Tait
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine