Loss and depression. A controversial link

Inconsistent findings in studies of loss and depression arise from methodological differences, lack of common definitions of depression and loss, and the failure to consider the interaction hypothesis: the effect of early loss on depression is partly conditional on the presence of a current loss. Data were collected from 744 university students. Only 15% of subjects without loss vs. 44% with both types of loss had Beck Depression Inventory scores indicative of moderate depression. Analysis of variance confirmed this strong interaction effect. These results provide empirical support for Freud's view that a recent loss can reactivate depressive feelings associated with earlier loss.