Early Adversity and Severe Events: Sensitizing Factors for Depression

Examining the contribution of early adversity and current life stress to recurrent depression. Consistent with the kindling hypothesis (Post, 1992), stressful life events were found to be more important for first lifetime episodes of depression than for recurrent episodes. Results also indicate a stress sensitization model in which individuals who have experienced early adversity display a greater personal history of depression than individuals who have not experienced early adversity.