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BACKGROUND: The quality of subjective experience of dysphoria may predict persistence of depression, independently of severity. This is tested in a clinic sample of adolescents with first episode of major depression using the Depressed States Checklist adapted for adolescents. METHOD: Ninety-four adolescents with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) were followed up at 12 months. Self-devaluative components of dysphoric experience, ruminative style, over-general autobiographical memory, and self-reported and observer-rated measures of depression severity were assessed at presentation and evaluated as predictors of persistent MDD. RESULTS: Persistent MDD was predicted by the independent additive effects of the higher self-devaluative component of dysphoria, lower general intelligence and greater observer-rated severity of depression at presentation. Neither self-reported depression score, overgeneral memory retrieval nor ruminative style contributed. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of self-devaluative dysphoric experience increase the liability for persistence of first-episode MDD. Other affective-cognitive components also contribute. The adolescent version of the Depressed States Checklist is a useful brief measure of cognitive vulnerability for persistence in currently depressed young people.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Psychol Med

Publication Date

04/2005

Volume

35

Pages

539 - 548

Keywords

Adolescent, Chronic Disease, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, England, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Mental Recall, Personality Assessment, Personality Inventory, Predictive Value of Tests, Probability, Psychometrics, Risk Factors, Self Concept, Statistics as Topic