The effect of "parental loss" under 18 on developing "MDD" in adult age.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study has been to search for the relations between Parental Loss in Childhood and Adolescence, and developing Major Depressive Disorder in Adulthood. METHOD: The Study had chosen the "Retrospective Case Control" method carried out over 64 patients admitted in University Hospitals of Tehran, who were suffering from MDD (matching DSM-IV-TR criteria), as the "Case Group" and 68 non-depressive admitted patients as the "Control Group." RESULTS: The study found that 19 out of 64 members of the "case group" (29.7%), and 7 out of 68 members of the "control group" (10.3%), has lost at least one parent under the age of 18. In other words, the prevalence of "parental loss" under 18 shows a meaningful increase in MDD among the "case group" in comparison with the "control group." CONCLUSION: The study concludes that there is a noticeable statistical relationship between the variants of "parental loss during childhood and adolescence" and the "MDD during adult age."