TY - JOUR
T1 - Longitudinal Associations Between Negative Life Events and Depressive Symptoms—A 9-Year Longitudinal Study on Between-Person and Within-Person Effects and the Role of Family History
AU - Maciejewski, Dominique
AU - van Sprang, Eleonore
AU - Spinhoven, Philip
AU - Penninx, Brenda
N1 - Funding Information: The infrastructure for the NESDA study (www.nesda.nl) is funded through the Geestkracht program of the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, Grant 0-000-1002) and financial contributions by participating universities and mental health care organizations (VU University Medical Center, GGZ inGeest, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, GGZ Rivierduinen, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Lentis, GGZ Friesland, GGZ Drenthe, Rob Giel Onderzoekscentrum) Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Psychological Association
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Research has shown that negative life events contribute to the development of depression. Moreover, it has been suggested that individuals with a family history of depression experience more negative life events and are more susceptible to the effect of negative life events. However, previous studies did not differentiate stable between-person effects (interindividual differences) and temporal within-person effects (intraindividual differences). This study aims to examine the bidirectional relation between negative life events and depressive symptoms using a novel statistical method (i.e., a random intercept cross-lagged panel model) that allows to separate within-person from between-person processes. Second, we examined the role of family history in that relation. Data came from 1,771 adults (1,320 with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder, 451 controls) that were followed over 9 years (baseline, 2-, 4-, 6-, and 9-year follow-up). Questionnaires were used to measure depressive symptoms and the number of independent (i.e., events independent of someone’s symptoms) and dependent negative life events (i.e.,events more likely to be influenced by a person). Results showed that individuals with more negative life events experienced more depressive symptoms on a between-person level. Additionally, although theeffects were considerably smaller, results suggested within-person increases in dependent and independent negative life events were correlated with within-person increases in depressive symptoms. Overall, our results suggest that negative life events and depressive symptoms are more consistently associated ona between-person than on a within-person level. Thus, negative life events may rather explain differences in depressive symptoms between persons than within persons
AB - Research has shown that negative life events contribute to the development of depression. Moreover, it has been suggested that individuals with a family history of depression experience more negative life events and are more susceptible to the effect of negative life events. However, previous studies did not differentiate stable between-person effects (interindividual differences) and temporal within-person effects (intraindividual differences). This study aims to examine the bidirectional relation between negative life events and depressive symptoms using a novel statistical method (i.e., a random intercept cross-lagged panel model) that allows to separate within-person from between-person processes. Second, we examined the role of family history in that relation. Data came from 1,771 adults (1,320 with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder, 451 controls) that were followed over 9 years (baseline, 2-, 4-, 6-, and 9-year follow-up). Questionnaires were used to measure depressive symptoms and the number of independent (i.e., events independent of someone’s symptoms) and dependent negative life events (i.e.,events more likely to be influenced by a person). Results showed that individuals with more negative life events experienced more depressive symptoms on a between-person level. Additionally, although theeffects were considerably smaller, results suggested within-person increases in dependent and independent negative life events were correlated with within-person increases in depressive symptoms. Overall, our results suggest that negative life events and depressive symptoms are more consistently associated ona between-person than on a within-person level. Thus, negative life events may rather explain differences in depressive symptoms between persons than within persons
KW - depressive symptoms
KW - family history
KW - longitudinal
KW - negative life events
KW - within-person effects
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111030626&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000381
DO - https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000381
M3 - Article
C2 - 33507780
SN - 0022-3514
VL - 121
SP - 707
EP - 721
JO - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
IS - 3
ER -