Cited by 166Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentMental Health Research Topics

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Negative life events and symptoms of depression and anxiety: stress causation and/or stress generation

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Phillips, Anna C., Carroll, Douglas, Der, Geoff·2015·Anxiety, Stress, & Coping

DOI 10.1080/10615806.2015.1005078PMC PMC4772121

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Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Stressful life events are known to contribute to development of depression; however, it is possible this link is bidirectional. The present study examined whether such stress generation effects are greater than the effects of stressful life events on depression, and whether stress generation is also evident with anxiety. DESIGN: Participants were two large age cohorts (N = 732 aged 44 years; N = 705 aged 63 years) from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study. METHODS: Stressful life events, depression, and anxiety symptoms were measured twice five years apart. Cross-lagged panel analysis examined the mutual influences of stressful life events on depression and on anxiety over time. RESULTS: Life events predicted later depressive symptomatology (p = .01), but the depression predicting life events relationship was less strong (p = .06), whereas earlier anxiety predicted life events five years later (p = .001). There was evidence of sex differences in the extent to which life events predicted later anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of stress causation for depression and weaker evidence for stress generation. In contrast, there was strong evidence of stress generation for anxiety but weaker evidence for stress causation, and that differed for men and women.

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Authors: Phillips, A. C., Carroll, D., & Der, G.
Affiliations: University of Birmingham (GB)
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (GB)
Corresponding author: Phillips, Anna C.
ORCID: Phillips, Anna C.
Der, Geoff
Venue: Anxiety, Stress, & Coping
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2015-02-05
Volume: 28
Issue: 4
Pages: 357-371
ISSN: 1061-5806 (ISSN-L)
1477-2205
DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2015.1005078
PMC: PMC4772121
OpenAlex: W2059911397
Cited by: 166
References: 45
Citations by year: 2026: 12 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6
FWCI: 18.13
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Locations: Anxiety Stress & Coping (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
Funders: The UK Medical Research Council (WBS U.1300.80.001.00001)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
Keywords: negative life events, life events, depression, anxiety symptoms, stress generation, bidirectional effects, sex differences, middle-aged and older adults, West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study
MeSH terms: Adult, Anxiety, Depression, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Stress, Psychological

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Negative life events and symptoms of depression and anxiety: stress causation and/or stress generation

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