LIFE STRESS AND TREATMENT COURSE OF RECURRENT DEPRESSION .2. POSTRECOVERY ASSOCIATIONS WITH ATTRITION, SYMPTOM COURSE, AND RECURRENCE OVER 3 YEARS

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.