Sm. Monroe et al., LIFE STRESS AND TREATMENT COURSE OF RECURRENT DEPRESSION .2. POSTRECOVERY ASSOCIATIONS WITH ATTRITION, SYMPTOM COURSE, AND RECURRENCE OVER 3 YEARS, Journal of abnormal psychology, 105(3), 1996, pp. 313-328
Life stress was studied in relation to postrecovery attrition, symptom
course, and recurrence of depression over 3 years. Participants were
67 individuals with recurrent depression who had responded to treatmen
t. Life stress was assessed for the prior 12 weeks at acute treatment
entry(T1), initial recovery (T2), and after 17 weeks of sustained reco
very (T3). Severe life events at TI predicted greater attrition, a mor
e favorable postrecovery symptom course, and a lower likelihood of rec
urrence over 3 years. Life stress at T2 was not predictive of outcomes
. Finally, undesirable life events at T3 tended to predict a worse sym
ptom course End a higher likelihood of recurrence, particularly for in
dividuals on medication. The findings are discussed in terms of(a) dif
ferent processes influenced by life stress over time and (b) limitatio
ns of existing longitudinal research for studying the effects of life
stress over prolonged intervals.