LIFETIME EPISODES OF DYSPHORIA - GENDER, EARLY-CHILDHOOD LOSS AND PERSONALITY

The roles of gender, early childhood loss and personality as risk fact ors for lifetime episodes of dysphoria were examined in a large sample of college students (N = 557). Dysphoria classifications were based o n the Inventory to Diagnose Depression (IDD) and the TT)D-Lifetime Ver sion. Brief dysphoria was defined as meeting DSM-III-R symptom criteri a for major depression without meeting the two-week duration criteria, whereas protracted dysphoria required that the duration criteria were also met. Although females reported higher levels of depressive sympt oms and neuroticism than did males, and were more likely to have a lif etime history of episodes of dysphoria, males were more susceptible to the adverse effects of early childhood loss. Males with loss were mor e likely to have a history of protracted dysphoria and to report highe r levels of neuroticism than were males who did not experience an earl y parental loss. Neuroticism, in turn, acted as a trait vulnerability characteristic to episodes of dysphoria in both males and females. Int erestingly, the effects of gender on lifetime experience of dysphoria were mediated by neuroticism: females' increased vulnerability to epis odes of dysphoria was due to their elevated levels of neuroticism.