title: Is the relationship between major depressive disorder and self-reported alcohol use disorder an artificial one?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many studies have suggested a close relationship between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to test whether the relationship between self-reported AUD and MDD was artificially strengthened by the diagnosis of MDD. This association was tested comparing relationships between alcohol use and AUD for depressive people and non-depressive people.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors, 4352 male Swiss alcohol users in their early twenties answered questions concerning their alcohol use, AUD and MDD at two time points. Generalized linear models for cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For cross-sectional associations, depressive participants reported a higher number of AUD symptoms (β = 0.743, P < 0.001) than non-depressive participants. Moreover, there was an interaction (β = -0.204, P = 0.001): the relationship between alcohol use and AUD was weaker for depressive participants rather than non-depressive participants. For longitudinal associations, there were almost no significant relationships between MDD at baseline and AUD at follow-up, but the interaction was still significant (β = -0.249, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDD thus appeared to be a confounding variable in the relationship between alcohol use and AUD, and self-reported measures of AUD seemed to be overestimated by depressive people. This result brings into question the accuracy of self-reported measures of substance use disorders. Furthermore, it adds to the emerging debate about the usefulness of substance use disorder as a concept, when heavy substance use itself appears to be a sensitive and reliable indicator.
authors.affiliation: Life Course and Social Inequality Research Centre, University of Lausanne, Geopolis Building, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland stephanie.baggio@unil.ch.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baggio
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Understanding of Social Processes, University of Neuchâtel, Faubourg de l'Hôpital 27, CH-2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.affiliation: Alcohol Treatment Centre, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Av. Beaumont 21 bis, Pavillon 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Studer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Geopolis Building, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dupuis
authors.affiliation: Alcohol Treatment Centre, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Av. Beaumont 21 bis, Pavillon 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-Bernard
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Daeppen
authors.affiliation: Alcohol Treatment Centre, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Av. Beaumont 21 bis, Pavillon 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland Addiction Switzerland, Case postale 870, CH-1001 Lausanne, Switzerland Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8, Canada University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gmel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult