Depression and sensitization to stressors among young women as a function of childhood adversity

The authors tested a stress-sensitization version of a diathesis-stress app roach to depression. In a 2-year longitudinal follow-up design, exposure to stressful life events was examined in young women in the transition to adu lthood. The authors hypothesized that those who had experienced one or more significant childhood adversities would have a lower threshold for develop ing a depressive reaction to stressors. Results indicated that women with e xposure to one or more childhood adversities-such as family violence, paren t psychopathology or alcoholism, and others-were more likely to become depr essed following less total stress than women without such adversity. The re sults could not be accounted for by chronic stress or prior depression. Bot h biological and psychological sensitization mechanisms may be speculated t o play a role, but the actual mechanisms of stress sensitization remain to be explored.