A Comparison of Humiliation Measurement in a Depressive Versus Non-clinical Sample: A Possible Clinical Utility.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to deepen the clinical utility of humiliation assessment in the study of depression. METHOD: We performed a correlational analysis of the relationship between humiliation, depression, resilience, and negative primary familial environment in 80 clinically depressed subjects (41 men and 39 women; mean age = 40.71, standard deviation SD = 9.94) and a strictly matched sample of 80 non-clinical subjects (41 men and 39 women; mean age = 40.64, SD = 10.24). We also implemented a hierarchical multiple regression analysis for each sample, to test the prediction of these variables on depression. RESULTS: Humiliation showed positive correlations with depressive factors, while negative correlations emerged with resilience in both samples. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed humiliation to be the most predictive factor of depression in the clinical sample only. CONCLUSION: This study improves the understanding of the relationship of humiliation and depression in both clinical and non-clinical populations.

Childhood family stress and adult resilience in a sample of depressed patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of childhood family stress on depression, personal, and social resilience in depressed patients. METHODS: We assessed childhood family stress (RFQ), depression (BSI, depression subscale), and resilience (RSA) in 152 depressed patients, 70 males, and 82 females. We calculated the 33rd and 66th percentiles of RFQ scores to divide the sample among Low, Medium, and High RFQ subgroups. A one-way ANOVA has been carried out to explore the differences between the variables in the subgroups. Finally, two regression analyses with depression, as the dependent variable, and resilience, divided for stress-sensitive and no stress-sensitive factors as independent variables, have been implemented. RESULTS: The one-way ANOVA showed that the Low subgroup had a positive profile, the Medium had an intermediate profile, while the High had a negative one for depression, personal (structured style and social competence), and interpersonal (social resources) resilience. The other factors (perception of self, planned future, and family cohesion) did not show differences in the subgroups, suggesting they are no stress sensitive. Regression analysis showed that no stress-sensitive factors have a constant and significant predictive value for depression in all subgroups; while, stress-sensitive ones showed a growing predictive value for depression from Low to Medium, but not in High, suggesting a ceiling effect. LIMITATIONS: The use of self-report measures, the cross-sectional nature of the study, and the lack of a non-clinical and/or outpatient samples. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a contribution to the understanding of the effect of childhood family stress on adult resilience and depression.