A Preliminary Report on Relationship between the Subtypes of Early Life Stressor and Clinical Depression

Abstract

Background: Clinical depression can critically incapacitate one and make one question his self-worth and future. Estimates claim that out of the world’s approximately 7.6 billion population, 264 million people suffer from depression. This study was formulated to contribute data and results of the presence of adverse childhood experiences and its tendency to give rise to clinical depression in adulthood. This article presents data of the first forty cases collected for this study. Method: Data was collected in the Psychiatric OPD of in a rural hospital, Wardha. Patients of major depressive disorder on treatment and who were above 18 years of age and willing to participate in the study were included in the study sample. Adverse Childhood Experiences – International Questionnaire, Presumptive Stressful Life Event Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scales were applied to the sample size. Results: Among the forty participants 23 (57%) were female and 17 (42.5%) were male. The samples’ age group was either between 30 to 50 years old (55%). Most of the participants were married (67.5%). 52.5% had been exposed to experiencing violence in the household and 52.5% of the participants experienced violence in the community. 20%participants were found to still low to moderate depression. 60% of the total sample population perceived themselves to be withstanding severe stress in the current day-to-day life. Conclusion: This is a preliminary report to an ongoing research project. We can see glimpses of how exposure to stressors during childhood have the ability to impact a person’s mental well-being decades later.