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Life satisfaction and depression in a 15-year follow-up of healthy adults.
- Source :
-
Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology . Dec2004, Vol. 39 Issue 12, p994-999. 6p. - Publication Year :
- 2004
-
Abstract
- <bold>Objective: </bold>The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between life satisfaction and depressive symptoms in healthy adults.<bold>Method: </bold>This is a 15-year prospective cohort study with a nationwide sample of healthy Finnish adults (N = 9679), aged 18-45, who responded to postal questionnaires in 1975, 1981 and 1990 including a 4-item life satisfaction (LS) scale (range 4-20) and, in 1990, the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).<bold>Results: </bold>A strong linear association was found between concurrent LS and BDI scales (r = 0.6). With an LS cut-off point of 11/12, moderate/severe depression (BDI > or = 19) was detected with 87% sensitivity, 88 % specificity and a 94% area under the ROC curve. Longitudinally, a strongly increased risk of moderate/severe depression in 1990 was observed among the dissatisfied (LS 12-20) compared with the satisfied (LS 4-6) in 1975 (OR = 6.7; 95 %CI 4.2-10.9) and in 1981 (OR = 10.4; 6.1-17.6).<bold>Conclusion: </bold>The 4-item LS scale can identify a group of healthy people from the general population with a high risk of having or developing depressive symptoms. Since low life satisfaction also indicates an elevated risk of other adverse health outcomes, the assessment of subjective well-being should be encouraged both in surveys and in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *DEPRESSED persons
*MENTAL depression
*AFFECTIVE disorders
*NEURASTHENIA
*NEUROSES
*ADULTS
*DIAGNOSIS of mental depression
*MENTAL health
*QUALITY of life
*COMPARATIVE studies
*LONGITUDINAL method
*RESEARCH methodology
*MEDICAL cooperation
*PSYCHOLOGICAL tests
*RESEARCH
*SATISFACTION
*SYMPTOMS
*EVALUATION research
*CROSS-sectional method
*PSYCHOLOGY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09337954
- Volume :
- 39
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 15276215
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-004-0833-6