Psychological risk factors and the course of depression and anxiety disorders: A review of 15 years NESDA research

Sascha Y Struijs; Peter J de Jong; Bertus F Jeronimus; Willem van der Does; Harriëtte Riese; Philip Spinhoven

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.086

Psychological risk factors and the course of depression and anxiety disorders: A review of 15 years NESDA research

J Affect Disord. 2021 Dec 1:295:1347-1359. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.086. Epub 2021 Sep 1.

Authors

Sascha Y Struijs¹, Peter J de Jong², Bertus F Jeronimus³, Willem van der Does⁴, Harriëtte Riese⁵, Philip Spinhoven⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, and Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. Electronic address: s.y.struijs@vu.nl.
² University of Groningen, Department of Psychology, Groningen, The Netherlands.
³ University of Groningen, Department of Psychology, Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotional regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁴ Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, and Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
⁵ University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotional regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 34706448
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.086

Abstract

Background: The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA; N_baseline=2981) is an ongoing longitudinal, multi-site, naturalistic, cohort study examining the etiology, course, and consequences of depression and anxiety. In this article we synthesize and evaluate fifteen years of NESDA research on prominent psychological risk factors for the onset, persistence, recurrence, and comorbidity of affective disorders.

Methods: A narrative review of 62 NESDA articles examining the specificity and predictive value of neuroticism, behavioral inhibition, repetitive negative thinking, experiential avoidance, cognitive reactivity, locus of control, (implicit) self-esteem, (implicit) disorder-specific self-associations, and attentional bias for the course of affective disorders.

Results: All self-reported risk factors showed cross-sectional relationships with singular and comorbid affective disorders, and prospective relationships with the development and chronicity of depression and anxiety disorders. High neuroticism, low self-esteem, and negative repetitive thinking showed most prominent transdiagnostic relationships, whereas cognitive reactivity showed most pronounced depression-specific associations. Implicit self-esteem showed predictive validity for the persistence and recurrence of anxiety and depression over and above self-reported risk factors. Automatic approach-avoidance behavior and attentional bias for negative, positive, or threat words showed no relationship with affective disorders.

Conclusion: NESDA identified both (a) transdiagnostic factors (e.g., neuroticism, low implicit self-esteem, repetitive negative thinking) that may help explain the comorbidity between affective disorders and overlap in symptoms, and (b) indications for disorder-specific risk factors (e.g., cognitive responsivity) which support the relevance of distinct disorder categories and disorder-specific mechanisms. Thus, the results point to the relevance of both transdiagnostic and disorder-specific targets for therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Affective disorders; Anxiety; Depression; Psychological risk factors; Psychological vulnerability; Review.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders* / epidemiology
Cohort Studies
Depression* / epidemiology
Humans
Netherlands
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors