Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T01:43:42.469Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Befriending as an intervention for chronic depression among women in an inner city

2: Role of fresh-start experiences and baseline psychosocial factors in remission from depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Tirril Harris ,
George W Brown  and
Ruth Robinson
Tirril Harris*
Affiliation:
Socio-Medical Research Centre, Royal Holloway, University of London
George W Brown
Affiliation:
Socio-Medical Research Centre, Royal Holloway, University of London
Ruth Robinson
Affiliation:
Socio-Medical Research Centre, Royal Holloway, University of London
*
Tirril Harris, Medical Research Centre, Guy's, King's and St Thomas's Schools of Medicine, St Thomas's Campus, The Dudgeon, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH. Tel: 0171 928 9292
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Volunteer befriending promoted remission of chronic depression when clinical and other treatment variables were controlled.

Aims

To examine the role of other psychosocial factors relevant for outcome.

Method

Factors measured at baseline interview were examined in multivariate analyses along with psychosocial factors occurring during follow-up, such as ‘fresh-start’ experiences and new severe events and difficulties.

Results

Fresh-start experiences and a standard attachment style were found to enhance chances of remission, with new severe stressors and markedly poor coping strategies liable to prevent it, with volunteer befriending continuing to play a role.

Conclusions

The positive result reported in the preceding paper is unlikely to be an artefact. However, fresh-start experiences, absence of new severe stressors and standard attachment style were more important predictors of remission. This knowledge might profitably be incorporated into the evaluation of existing treatments.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 174 , Issue 3 , March 1999 , pp. 225 - 232
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

See Paper 1, pp. 219–224, this issue.

Declaration of interest

Research supported by the Medical Research Council. Befriending service funded by contributions from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the King's Fund, the Mental Health Foundation, North Thames Regional Health Authority and the Baring Foundation.

References

Bifuico, A., Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. O. (1994) Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA): a retrospective interview measure. Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1419–1435.Google Scholar
Bifuico, A., Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. O. (1996) Cognitive coping response to crises and onset of depression. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 31, 163–172.Google Scholar
Blackburn, I.-M. & Moore, R. G. (1997) Controlled acute and follow-up trial of cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy in out-patients with recurrent depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 328–334.Google Scholar
Blanchard, M. R., Waterrous, A. & Mann, A. M. (1995) The effect of primary care nurse intervention upon older people screened as depressed. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 10, 289–298.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W.sss (1988) Causal paths, chains and strands. In Studies of Psychological Risk: The Power of Longitudinal Data (ed. Rutter, M.), pp. 285–314. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W. (1993) Life events and affective disorder: replications and limitations. Psychosomatic Medicine, 55, 248–259.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, G. W. & Harris, T. O. (1978) Social Origins of Depression: A Study of Psychiatric Disorder in Women. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W., Andrews, B., Harris, T. O., et al (1986) Social support, self-esteem and depression. Psychological Medicine, 16, 813–831.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W., Adler, Z. & Bifulco, A. (1988) Life events, difficulties and recovery from chronic depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 487–498.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W., Lemyre, L. & Bifulco, A. (1992) Social factors and recovery from anxiety and depressive disorders. A test of specificity. British Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 44–54.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W., Harris, T. O. & Hepworth, C. (1994) Life events and ‘endogenous’ depression: a puzzle re-examined. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 525–534.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W. & Moran, P. (1994) Clinical and psychosocial origins of chronic depressive episodes. 1: A community survey. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 447–456.Google Scholar
Brugha, T. S. (1995) Social Support and Psychiatric Disorder: Research Findings and Guidelines for Clinical Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brugha, T. S., Bebbington, P. E., MacCarthy, B., et al (1992) Antidepressants may not assist recovery in practice: a naturalistic prospective survey. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 86, 5–11.Google Scholar
Cox, A. D. (1993) Befriending young mothers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 6–18.Google Scholar
Dalgard, O. S., Anstorp, T., Benum, K., et al (1995) Social network and mental health – an intervention study. In Social Support and Psychiatric Disorder: Research Findings and Guidelines for Clinical Practice (ed. Brugha, T. S.), pp. 197–212. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dean, C., Surtees, P. G. & Sashidharan, S. D. (1983) Comparison of research diagnostic systems in an Edinburgh community sample. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 247–256.Google Scholar
Elkin, I., Shea, M. T., Watkins, J. T., et al (1989) National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program: general effectiveness of treatments. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 971–981.Google Scholar
Finlay-Jones, R., Brown, G. W., Duncan-Jones, P., et al (1980) Depression and anxiety in the community. Psychological Medicine, 10, 445–454.Google Scholar
Frank, E., Prion, R. F., Jarrett, R. et al (1991) Conceptualisation and rationale for consensus definitions of terms in major depressive disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 851–855.Google Scholar
Ginsberg, S. & Brown, G. W. (1982) No time for depression: a study of help-seeking among mothers of pre-school children. In Symptoms, Illness Behaviour and Help-Seeking (ed. Mechanic, D.), pp. 87–114. New York: Neale Watson Academic Publications.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P., Cooper, B., Eastwood, R. R., et al (1970) A standardised psychiatric interview for use in community surveys. British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine, 24, 18–23.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P., Jackson, G., Gater, R., et al (1996) The treatment of common mental disorders by a community team based in primary care: a cost-effectiveness study. Psychological Medicine, 24, 487–492.Google Scholar
Harris, T. O. & Bifulco, A. (1991) Loss of parent in childhood, and attachment style and depression in adulthood. In Attachment Across the Life Cycle (eds Parkes, C. M. & Hinde, J. S.), pp. 234–267. London: Tavistock; New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Healy, D. (1998) Commentary: Meta-analysis of trials comparing antidepressants with active placebos. British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 232–234.Google Scholar
Hollevik, O. (1984) Introduction to Causal Analysis: Exploring Survey Data by Cross-tabulation. London: George Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Hickie, I. & Parker, G. (1992) The impact of an uncaring partner on improvement in non-melancholic depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 25, 147–160.Google Scholar
Hughes, D. C. Turnbull, J. E. & Blazer, D. G. (1992) Family history of psychiatric disorder and tow self-confidence: predictors of depressive symptoms at 12-month follow-up. Journal of Affective Disorders, 25, 197–212.Google Scholar
Lam, D. H., Green, B., Power, M. J., et al (1994) The impact of social cognitive variables on the initial level of depression and recovery. Journal of Affective Disorders, 32, 75–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leenstra, A. S., Ormel, J. & Glel, R. (1995) Positive life change and recovery from depression and anxiety. A three-stage longitudinal study of primary care attenders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 333–343.Google Scholar
Licht, R. W., Goulalev, G., Vestergaard, P., et al (1997) Generalisability of results from randomised drug trials. A trial on antimanic treatment. British Journal of Psychiatry, 170, 264–267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Markowitz, J. (1994) Psychotherapy for dysthymia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 114–121.Google Scholar
Moncrieff, J., Wessely, S. & Hardy, R. (1998) Meta-analysis of trials comparing antidepressants with active placebos. British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 227–231.Google Scholar
O'Connor, P. & Brown, G. W. (1984) Supportive relationships: factor fancy? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 1, 159–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parkes, C. M. (1900) Bereavement counselling: does it work? British Medical Journal, 281, 3–6.Google Scholar
Paykel, E. S., Raman, R., Cooper, Z., et al (1995) Residual symptoms after partial remission: an important outcome in depression. Psychological Medicine, 25, 1171–1180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ronalds, C., Creed, F., Stone, K., et al (1997) Outcome of anxiety and depressive disorder in primary care. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 427–433.Google Scholar
Scott, C., Tacchi, M. J., Jones, R. et al (1997) Acute and one-year outcome of a randomised controlled trial of brief cognitive therapy for major depressive disorder in primary care. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 131–134.Google Scholar
Scott, J. (1994) Cognitive therapy of affective disorders: a review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 37, 1–11.Google Scholar
Straus, M. & Gelles, R. (1980) Physical Violence in American Families. New Brunswick. NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Van der Eyken, W. (1982) Homestart: A Four year Evaluation. Leicester: Homestart Consultancy.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Barbor, T., Brugha, T. S., et al (1990) SCAN. Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. Archives of General Psychiatry, 47, 589–593.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.