title: Cognitive ability in childhood and the chronicity and suicidality of depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is inconsistent evidence regarding the influence of general cognitive abilities on the long-term course of depression.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between general childhood cognitive abilities and adult depression outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cohort study using data from 633 participants in the New England Family Study with lifetime depression. Cognitive abilities at age 7 were measured using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Depression outcomes were assessed using structured diagnostic interviews administered up to four times in adulthood between ages 17 and 49.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In analyses adjusting for demographic factors and parental psychiatric illness, low general cognitive ability (i.e. IQ<85 v. IQ>115) was associated with recurrent depressive episodes (odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% CI 1.20-4.00), longer episode duration (rate ratio 4.21, 95% CI 2.24-7.94), admission to hospital for depression (OR = 3.65, 95% CI 1.34-9.93) and suicide ideation (OR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.79-8.02) and attempt (OR = 4.94, 95% CI 1.67-14.55).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Variation in cognitive abilities, predominantly within the normal range and established early in childhood, may confer long-term vulnerability for prolonged and severe depression. The mechanisms underlying this vulnerability need to be established to improve the prognosis of depression among individuals with lower cognitive abilities.
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Galen Chin-Lun
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Stefanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Pietras
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carliner
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Laurie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Seidman
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Buka
authors.affiliation: Galen Chin-Lun Hung, MD, ScM, Department of Psychiatry, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taiwan, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Stefanie A. Pietras, SM, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Hannah Carliner, ScD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA; Laurie Martin, ScD, MPH, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA; Larry J. Seidman, PhD, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Stephen L. Buka, ScD, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Stephen E. Gilman, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA sgilman@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Gilman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult