This paper evaluates the significance of lifetime exposure to major and traumatic events for the subsequent occurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and the extent to which variations in effects are conditioned by the sensitivity of one's behavioral inhibition (BIS) and/or behavioral activation (BAS) system(s). The now vast literature connecting stress exposure to depression has almost exclusively considered depressive symptoms rather than disorder, presumably due to problems of temporal order. Because life stress has conventionally been measured in terms of recent life events or contemporaneous stressors and the vast majority of major depressive episodes are recurrent, the stressors assessed generally follow rather than precede disorder onsets. In this study of a representative sample of 1800 individuals in the transition to adulthood (19-21 years of age), both the occurrence of major and traumatic events and the onset of disorders have been carefully set in time. The repeated observation that some individuals are adversely affected by a given level of social stress while others appear unaffected, has focused attention on factors that may define differences in individual vulnerability. We examine the conditioning effects of hypothesized neurobiological systems thought to regulate approach and withdrawal behaviors in response to negative and positive environmental experiences-the behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation systems. Our results contribute toward a better understanding of processes by which stress exposure comes to be differentially translated into mental health risk.
Learning Objectives: Prticipants will understand the nature and strength of the association between social stress and depressive disorders. They will be introduced to the constructs of behavioral inhibition system (BIS)and behavioral activation system (BAS)and be informed about their relevance for individual vulnerability. Implications for prevention will be discussed
Keywords: Stress, Depression
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.