REPORTS OF THE CHILDHOOD HOME-ENVIRONMENT IN EARLY-ONSET DYSTHYMIA AND EPISODIC MAJOR DEPRESSION

This study addressed 2 questions: (a) is early-onset dysthymia associa ted with reports of a disturbed childhood home environment; and (b) ca n adverse early experiences account, at least in part, for the differi ng clinical presentations of dysthymia and major depression? Participa nts included 97 outpatients with early-onset dysthymia, 45 outpatients with episodic major depression, and 45 normal controls. The early hom e environment was assessed blind to diagnosis using both interview and self-report measures. Early-onset dysthymia patients reported signifi cantly more physical and sexual abuse and poorer relationships with bo th parents than normal controls. In addition, patients with dysthymia reported having received significantly poorer parenting than those wit h episodic major depression. The results could not be accounted for by mood state effects, comorbidity with border-line and antisocial perso nality disorder, or comorbid major depression.