The relationship between life stress and depression in an endogenous sample.

The role of stress was examined in a sample of 68 endogenously depressed patients. Antecedent and concurrent life events and long-term difficulties, operationalized by different subcategories and scoring options, were related to depression severity, treatment response versus nonresponse, and maintenance versus relapse. Results showed an association between initial depression and various categories of subjective stress; a reduction in subjective (but not objective) event-related stress coincident with remission; positive relationships between life events and response and maintenance and between difficulties and relapse; and a higher event profile among unipolar depressive patients. Results are discussed in terms of the positive prognostic value of reactivity in endogenous depression, as well as the interactive relationship between continuing depression and long-term difficulties.