Citation

Vitriol V, Cancino A, Leiva-Bianchi M, Serrano C, Ballesteros S, Potthoff S, Cáceres C, Ormazábal M, Asenjo A. Rev. Med. Chile 2017; 145(9): 1145-1153.

Vernacular Title

Depresión adulta y experiencias infantiles adversas: evidencia de un subtipo depresivo complejo en consultantes de la atención primaria en Chile.

Affiliation

Centro de Salud Familiar Curicó-Centro, Curicó, Chile.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Sociedad Medica De Santiago)

DOI

10.4067/s0034-98872017000901145

PMID

29424401

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traumatic experiences during childhood may influence the development of mental disorders during adulthood.

AIM: To determine clinical and psychosocial variables that are associated with a higher frequency of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in patients who consult for depression in Primary Health Care clinics in Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A socio-demographic interview, the mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI), a screening for ACE, a questionnaire for partner violence (PV), the Life Experiences Survey (LES) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRDS) were applied to 394 patients with major depression (87% women).

RESULTS: Eighty two percent of patients had experienced at least one ACE and 43% of them reported three or more. Positive correlations were observed between the number of ACE and severity of depressive symptoms (r = 0.19; p < 0.01), psychiatric comorbidities (r = 0.23; p < 0.01), partner violence events (r = 0.31; p < 0.01), vital stressful events (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), number of depressive episodes (r = 0.16; p < 0.01), duration of the longer depressive episode (r = 0.12; p < 0.05) and suicidal tendency according to HDRS (r = 0.16; p < 0.01). An inverse correlation was observed between frequency of ACE and age at the first depressive episode (r = -0.12; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: These data are consistent with the hypothesis that early trauma is associated with more severe and complex depressive episodes during adulthood.

Language: es