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Do somatic complaints predict subsequent symptoms of depression?
Lisa Terre1, Walker S Carlos Poston, John Foreyt
1Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499, USA. terrel@umkc.edu
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|August 16, 2003
Summary
Somatic complaints may increase the risk of developing depression in women. While income and age were stronger predictors for men and women, somatization symptoms predicted future depression in women.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Substantial comorbidity exists between somatization and depression in various populations.
- Existing research is largely retrospective or cross-sectional, limiting understanding of the causal relationship.
- The predictive role of somatic complaints on subsequent depressive symptoms remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prospective relationship between somatization symptoms and depression.
- To determine if somatic complaints predict the future development of depressive symptoms in an adult cohort.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study using data from the RENO Diet-Heart Study.
- Assessed somatization symptoms using the SCL-90-R at baseline.
- Assessed depressive symptoms using the CES-D 5 years later in an initially healthy community adult cohort.
Main Results:
- Baseline CES-D scores predicted subsequent depressive symptoms in both men and women.
- SCL-90-R somatization scores predicted future depressive symptoms in women, but not men.
- Income and age were stronger predictors of subsequent depressive symptoms than somatic complaints.
Conclusions:
- Somatic complaints are a potential risk factor for subsequent depression in nonclinical women.
- Social variables are important to consider in studies of women's depression.
- Further research is needed to identify predictors of depressive symptoms in men.