College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011 Feb;19(2):123-31. doi: 10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181f7d89a.
To explore the relationship between personality, social support, and depression in older adults, identify the personality trait and social support dimension most closely associated with depression, and determine whether the relationship between personality and depression varies by level of social support.
Cross-sectional analysis within longitudinal study.
Older patients originally diagnosed with major depression (n = 108) and never-depressed comparison group of older adults (n = 103).
Patients sufficiently recovered from major depression and comparison participants were administered the NEO Personality Inventory. Social support was measured annually for both groups. Patients were administered the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) every 3 months.
Patients and comparison participants differed on four of the five NEO domains and all four social support dimensions, but personality did not significantly predict depression status (patient/comparison) in controlled analyses. Within the patient group, subjective social support was the only dimension correlated with MADRS score. In separate linear regression analyses among the patients, controlling for age, sex, and subjective social support, the domains of Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion were associated with MADRS score. For Neuroticism and Openness, the association varied by level of subjective social support.
Our research confirmed that older patients differed from never-depressed older adults in dimensions of personality and social support, and the relationship between these variables differed by depression status. The relationship between personality, social support, and depressive symptoms in older adults recovering from depression is also complex, with subjective social support modifying the association between personality and depression.
探讨老年人个性、社会支持与抑郁的关系，确定与抑郁最密切相关的个性特征和社会支持维度，并确定个性与抑郁的关系是否因社会支持水平而异。
纵向研究中的横断面分析。
最初被诊断患有重度抑郁症的老年患者（n=108）和从未抑郁过的老年对照组（n=103）。
从重度抑郁症中充分康复的患者和对照组参与者接受了 NEO 人格量表测试。两组均每年进行社会支持测量。患者每 3 个月接受一次蒙哥马利-阿斯伯格抑郁评定量表（MADRS）评估。
患者和对照组参与者在五个 NEO 维度中的四个和四个社会支持维度中的所有维度都存在差异，但在对照分析中，个性并未显著预测抑郁状态（患者/对照组）。在患者组中，主观社会支持是唯一与 MADRS 评分相关的维度。在患者组中，进行了单独的线性回归分析，控制了年龄、性别和主观社会支持，神经质、开放性、尽责性和外向性这四个领域与 MADRS 评分相关。对于神经质和开放性，这种关联因主观社会支持的水平而异。
我们的研究证实，与从未抑郁过的老年人相比，老年患者在个性和社会支持维度上存在差异，这些变量之间的关系因抑郁状态而异。从抑郁症中康复的老年人的个性、社会支持与抑郁症状之间的关系也很复杂，主观社会支持改变了个性与抑郁之间的关联。
