TY - JOUR
T1 - The importance of personality and life-events in anxious depression
T2 - from trait to state anxiety
AU - van der Veen, Date C.
AU - van Dijk, Silvia D.M.
AU - Comijs, Hannie C.
AU - van Zelst, Willeke H.
AU - Schoevers, Robert A.
AU - Oude Voshaar, Richard C.
PY - 2017/11/2
Y1 - 2017/11/2
N2 - Objectives: Anxious depression is associated with severe impairment and bad prognoses. We hypothesize that recent life-events are associated with more anxiety in late-life depression and that this is conditional upon the level of certain personality traits. Method: Baseline data of the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO) were used. In 333 patients (≥60 years) suffering from a major depressive disorder, anxiety was assessed with the BAI, personality traits with the NEO-FFI and the Mastery Scale, and life-events with the Brugha questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were applied with anxiety severity as dependent and life-events and personality traits as independent variables. Results: 147 patients (44.1%) had recently experienced one or more life-events. The presence of a life-event is not associated with anxiety (p =.161) or depression severity (p =.440). However, certain personality traits interacted with life-events in explaining anxiety severity. Stratified analyses showed that life-events were associated with higher anxiety levels in case of high levels of neuroticism and openness and low levels of conscientiousness or mastery. Conclusions: In the face of a life-event, personality traits may play a central role in increased anxiety levels in late-life depression.
AB - Objectives: Anxious depression is associated with severe impairment and bad prognoses. We hypothesize that recent life-events are associated with more anxiety in late-life depression and that this is conditional upon the level of certain personality traits. Method: Baseline data of the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO) were used. In 333 patients (≥60 years) suffering from a major depressive disorder, anxiety was assessed with the BAI, personality traits with the NEO-FFI and the Mastery Scale, and life-events with the Brugha questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were applied with anxiety severity as dependent and life-events and personality traits as independent variables. Results: 147 patients (44.1%) had recently experienced one or more life-events. The presence of a life-event is not associated with anxiety (p =.161) or depression severity (p =.440). However, certain personality traits interacted with life-events in explaining anxiety severity. Stratified analyses showed that life-events were associated with higher anxiety levels in case of high levels of neuroticism and openness and low levels of conscientiousness or mastery. Conclusions: In the face of a life-event, personality traits may play a central role in increased anxiety levels in late-life depression.
KW - Anxious depression
KW - life-events
KW - personality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84976897406&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13607863.2016.1202894
DO - 10.1080/13607863.2016.1202894
M3 - Article
C2 - 27376398
AN - SCOPUS:84976897406
VL - 21
SP - 1177
EP - 1183
JO - Aging and Mental Health
JF - Aging and Mental Health
SN - 1360-7863
IS - 11
ER -