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Cited by 554Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentGenetic Associations and Epidemiology

The prediction of major depression in women: toward an integrated etiologic model.

Kenneth S. Kendler, Ronald C. Kessler, Michael Churton Neale, Andrew C. Heath, L. J. Eaves·1993·American Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1176/ajp.150.8.1139
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The authors develop an exploratory, integrated etiologic model for the prediction of episodes of major depression in an epidemiologic sample of women. METHOD: Both members of 680 female-female twin pairs of known zygosity from a population-based register were assessed three times at greater than 1-year intervals. The last two assessments included a structured interview evaluation for presence of episodes of major depression, defined by DSM-III-R, in the preceding year. The final structural equation model contained nine predictor variables: genetic factors, parental warmth, childhood parental loss, lifetime traumas, neuroticism, social support, past depressive episodes, recent difficulties, and recent stressful life events. RESULTS: The best-fitting model predicted 50.1% of the variance in the liability to major depression. The strongest predictors of this liability were, in descending order, 1) stressful life events, 2) genetic factors, 3) previous history of major depression, and 4) neuroticism. While 60% of the effect of genetic factors on the liability to major depression was direct, the remaining 40% was indirect and mediated largely by a history of prior depressive episodes, stressful life events, lifetime traumas, and neuroticism. The model suggested that at least four major and interacting risk factor domains are needed to understand the etiology of major depression: traumatic experiences, genetic factors, temperament, and interpersonal relations. CONCLUSIONS: Major depression is a multifactorial disorder, and understanding its etiology will require the rigorous integration of genetic, temperamental, and environmental risk factors.

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Authors
Kendler, K. S., Kessler, R. C., Neale, M. C., Heath, A. C., & Eaves, L. J.
Affiliations
Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
ORCID
Venue
American Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Published
1993-08-01
Volume
150
Issue
8
Pages
1139-1148
ISSN
  • 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-7228
DOI
10.1176/ajp.150.8.1139
OpenAlex
W2413281882
Cited by
554
References
63
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 16
FWCI
33.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01hd026746-05)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH040828, NIMH MH-40828)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS-25630)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD 26746)
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
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
Keywords
major depressive disorder, women, depression prediction, genetic risk factors, life events, childhood trauma, neuroticism, parental warmth, social support, depressive episodes, twin pairs, risk factors, interpersonal relationships
MeSH terms
Adult, Depressive Disorder, Diseases in Twins, Female, Genes, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Life Change Events, Probability, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Recurrence, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Social Support, Temperament, Twins, Dizygotic, Twins, Monozygotic, Models, Statistical, Prevalence

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