Age at onset of recurrent major depression in Han Chinese women – A replication study

Abstract Background The relationship between age at onset (AAO) and major depression (MD) has been studied in US, European and Chinese populations. However, larger sample studies are needed to replicate and extend earlier findings. Methods We re-examined the relationship between AAO and the clinical features of recurrent MD in Han Chinese women by analyzing the phase I ( N =1848), phase II ( N =4169) and total combined data ( N =6017) from the CONVERGE project. Linear, logistic, multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine the association of AAO with continuous, binary and categorical variables. Results The effect size of the association between AAO and clinical features of MD was quite similar in the phase I and phase II samples. These results confirmed that MD patients with earlier AAO tended to suffer more severe, recurrent and chronic illness and cases of MD with earlier AAO showed increased neuroticism, greater family history and psychiatric comorbidity. In addition, we showed that earlier AAO of MD in Han Chinese women was associated with premenstrual symptoms, postnatal depression, a highly authoritarian or cold childhood parental rearing style and a reduced probability for having melancholia. Limitations Data were collected retrospectively through interview and recall bias may have affected the results. Conclusions MD with earlier AAO in Han Chinese women shows a distinct set of clinical features which are similar to those reported in Western populations.