Hazard, heredity and depression. A family study.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Genetics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Familial aggregation of depression is a well-established phenomenon.
• The influence of proband characteristics, such as prior adversity, on familial depression rates requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between proband characteristics and the familial aggregation of depression.
• To determine if prior adversity or specific symptom patterns in probands influence depression rates in first-degree relatives.

Main Methods:

• Interview study of 83 families ascertained through probands with recent-onset depression.
• Assessment of depression in first-degree relatives.
• Comparison of familial depression rates based on proband's prior adversity, age of onset, and symptom patterns.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in familial depression rates was found between probands with or without prior adversity.
• Depression was slightly more common in relatives of probands who experienced a threatening life event.
• Early onset (before 32 years) and neurotic symptoms in probands were associated with higher current illness rates in relatives, but these differences diminished when considering lifetime prevalence or morbid risk.
• Morbid risk for severe depression was nearly double in relatives of endogenously depressed probands compared to relatives of neurotic probands.

Conclusions:

• Proband's prior adversity does not appear to significantly alter familial depression aggregation.
• Early onset and specific symptom clusters in probands are associated with increased familial depression risk, particularly for severe forms.
• Endogenous depression in probands indicates a higher morbid risk for severe depression in first-degree relatives.