Predicting Factors of Relapse among Persons with a Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder is the diagnosis used when an individual has chronic depression that may reoccur, whereby the affected person may experience a relapse of the illness. In order to prevent relapse of a major depressive disorder, it is essential to identify predictors of a potential relapse. Thus, this case-controlled study sought to examine psychosocial factors that might predict an impending relapse among persons with a major depressive disorder. Seventy-four individuals, diagnosed with a major depressive disorder, participated in the study. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The results revealed stressful life events, self-efficacy for coping with depression, and expressed emotion of family members as significant predictors of an impending relapse of a major depressive disorder. Together these three independent variables explained 52% (Cog and Snell R-2) or 69.3% (Nagelkerke R-2) of the variance of relapse among the subjects. Although the power of each independent variable in predicting the likelihood of a relapse of the illness was not high, the results support cognitive theory that hypothesizes stressful life events increase one's likelihood of having a depressive relapse. The findings also support those of previous studies wherein self-efficacy for coping with depression and expressed emotion of family members have been found to be factors that may influence the relapse of a major depressive disorder.