Clinical risk factors for the generation of life events in major depression

This study examines the relationship of anxiety disorder and dysthymia como rbidity to the generation of life events prior to major depression episode onset in a cross-sectional community sample of 76 women. Those with comorbi d anxiety and dysthymia experienced higher rates of events that were at lea st partly dependent on their own behavior but did not differ from those wit hout these clinical risk factors on independent life events outside of thei r control. This relationship remained significant even after controlling fo r overall severity of depression and demographic covariates. The implicatio ns of these results for understanding the increased rates of major depressi on onset and recurrence among those with comorbid anxiety and dysthymia are discussed as avenues of future research.