Gender differences in prevalence and clinical correlates of anxiety symptoms in first-episode and drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder

Wan-Qiu Yang; Miao Qu; Han-Liu Fang; Andrew T Phan; Hanjing Emily Wu; Xiao-E Lang; Xiang-Yang Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152275

Gender differences in prevalence and clinical correlates of anxiety symptoms in first-episode and drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder

Compr Psychiatry. 2021 Nov:111:152275. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152275. Epub 2021 Sep 17.

Authors

Wan-Qiu Yang¹, Miao Qu², Han-Liu Fang³, Andrew T Phan⁴, Hanjing Emily Wu⁴, Xiao-E Lang⁵, Xiang-Yang Zhang⁶

Affiliations

¹ The Mental Health Center, Yunnan University, Kunming, China; School of Ethnology and Sociology Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
² Neurology Department, Xuan Wu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
³ Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital/First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
⁶ CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhangxy@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 34560368
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152275

Abstract

Aim: Gender differences in major depressive disorder (MDD) are commonly reported; however, gender differences in first-episode and drug-naïve (FEDN) patients with major depressive disorder remain unclear. This study aimed to examine potential gender differences in the prevalence and clinical correlates of comorbid anxiety in FEDN patients with MDD.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with1718 FEDN patients with MDD. Patients' demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed using standardized clinical evaluation forms. The Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to evaluate depression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms, respectively.

Results: There were no gender-based differences in the comorbidity rates of MDD and anxiety disorders (male: 10.2% vs. female:12.7%, P = 0.123). The prevalence of MDD with severe anxiety symptoms in male patients was similar to that of female patients (80.8%vs. 80.1%, P = 0.749). Male MDD patients were younger, had earlier age of onset, and were less likely to be married. In both the male and female groups, HAMD scores, HAMA scores, suicide attempts, and psychotic symptoms in patients with severe anxiety symptoms were higher than those patients without severe anxiety symptoms (all p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, binary logistic regression analysis showed that psychotic symptoms and suicide attempts significantly predicted severe anxiety symptoms in both male and female patients with MDD, while body mass index(BMI)significantly predicted severe anxiety symptoms in MDD females only.

Conclusion: Our study showed that there were no gender differences in the prevalence of comorbid anxiety in FEDN patients with MDD. Suicide attempts and psychiatric symptoms were associated with severe anxiety symptoms in both men and women with MDD, whereas BMI was only correlated with severe anxiety symptoms in women.

Keywords: Comorbid anxiety with major depressive disorder; First episode and drug naïve (FEDN) patients; Gender differences; Major depressive disorder (MDD).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anxiety / diagnosis
Anxiety / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depressive Disorder, Major* / diagnosis
Depressive Disorder, Major* / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Pharmaceutical Preparations*
Prevalence
Sex Factors

Substances

Pharmaceutical Preparations