title: Neuroticism, social network, stressful life events: association with mood disorders, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a community sample of women.
abstract: According to the stress-diathesis hypothesis, depression and suicidal behavior may be precipitated by psychosocial stressors in vulnerable individuals. However, risk factors for mental health are often gender-specific. In the present study, we evaluated common risk factors for female depression in association with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a community sample of women. The sample was composed by 415 women evaluated for mood disorders (MDs), depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation by structured interviews and the Beck depression inventory II (BDI II). All women also filled in the Eysenck personality questionnaire to evaluate neuroticism and were interviewed for social contact frequency and stressful life events (SLEs). In the whole sample, 19% of the women satisfied criteria for MD and suicidal ideation was reported by 12% of the women. Though stressful life events, especially personal and interpersonal problems, and poor social network were associated with all the outcome variables (mood disorder, depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation), neuroticism survived to all multivariate analyses. Social network, together with neuroticism, also showed strong association with depressive severity, independently from current depressive state. Though we were unable to compare women and men, data obtained from the present study suggest that in women neurotic traits are strongly related to depression and suicidal ideation, and potentially mediate reporting of stressful life events and impaired social network. Independently from a current diagnosis of depression, impaired social network increases depressive symptoms in the women.
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: laura.mandelli@unibo.it.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Mandelli
authors: Department of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors: Finiki A
authors: FA
authors: Nearchou
authors: Department of Psychiatry, General Hospital of Xanthi, Xanthi, Greece.
authors: Chrysostomos
authors: C
authors: Vaiopoulos
authors: University Mental Health Research Institute, Athens, Greece.
authors: Costas N
authors: CN
authors: Stefanis
authors: University Mental Health Research Institute, Athens, Greece.
authors: Silia
authors: S
authors: Vitoratou
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Serretti
authors: University Mental Health Research Institute, Athens, Greece; Eginition Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Electronic address: stefanisn@meddent.uwa.edu.au.
authors: Nicholas C
authors: NC
authors: Stefanis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000075384:Neuroticism; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D059020:Suicidal Ideation
keywords: Depression; Life events; Mood disorders; Quality of life; Self-harm; Stress; Suicide