Alcohol Use Disorder and the Persistence/Recurrence of Major Depression: Le trouble de l’usage de l’alcool et la persistance/récurrence de la dépression majeure
Vivian N. Onaemo, Timothy O. Fawehinmi, Carl D’Arcy
Abstract
Objective This study aims to determine the role of alcohol use disorder and other potential risk factors on persistence/recurrence of major depression in a Canadian population sample. Methods Data were drawn from the National Population Health Survey (1994/1995 to 2010/2011), a prospective epidemiologic survey of individuals 12 years and older, living in 10 Canadian provinces ( N = 17,276). Participants were reinterviewed every 2 years for 9 cycles. This study population was a cohort of individuals who at baseline met the diagnosis of a major depressive episode (MDE) in the previous 12 months ( n = 908). After the 6-year (cycle 4) and 16-year (cycle 9) follow-up period, 124 of 718 participants and 79 of 461 participants met the criteria for MDE, respectively. Persistence or recurrence of major depression was defined as meeting a diagnosis of MDE after 6 years and 16 years. Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the role of alcohol dependence and other risk factors on the persistence/recurrence of major depression using Stata 14. Results Alcohol use disorder was significantly correlated with a 6-year (odds ratio [ OR]: 3.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68 to 5.48; P < .0001) and 16-year ( OR, 3.17; 95% CI, 1.15 to 8.77, P = 0.003) persistence/recurrence of major depression. Other factors associated with the persistence/recurrence of major depression include female sex, childhood traumatic events, chronic pain restricting activities, daily smoking, and low self-esteem. Conclusions Comorbid alcohol use disorder was found to be a strong risk factor for the persistence or recurrence of major depression.