Characteristics of stressful life events precipitating first episode depression in adolescents
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Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to identify the characteristics of stressful life events that precipitated firs episode depression in adolescence and also intended to study the relationship between demographic factors and specific characteristics of stressful life events. Secondary aim was to determine the relationship between these life events and diagnosis, as well as suicidal ideation.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review study. The authors collected data of patients aged between 10-19 years old who visited the psychiatric department outpatient department at Vajira Hospital between 2008-2017 and who had been diagnosed with depression for the first time. All the gathered data were analyzed and interpreted by using SPSS version.
Results: Our study had 298 subjects. The majority of them were female (189 patients, 65.4%). The common stressful life events that precipitated first episode depression in adolescence were family conflict problems (39.4%), academic problems (20.9%), romantic relationship problems (19.2%) and peer relationship problems (18.8%). Family conflict problems were significantly related to dysthymia in adolescence (p= 0.003). Romantic relationship problems were more likely to precipitate depression in females (p= 0.03) and late adolescence (p<0.001). Moreover, romantic relationship problems were significantly related to adjustment disorder with depressed mood (p<0.001) and suicidal ideation (p= 0.01). Conflict with teachers was more common among boys (p= 0.02) and early adolescence (p= 0.01).
Conclusion: The top three stressful life events those precipitated first episode depression in adolescence were family conflict problems, academic problems and romantic relationship problems. In particular, family conflict problems were associated with dysthymia. The romantic relationship problems were related to adjustment disorder with depressed mood and suicidal ideation. This research partly reflects the characteristics of stressors that triggered depression in adolescents in Bangkok. Therefore, these problems need to be addressed, in order to reduce incidence of adolescent depression.
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References
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