1.2  Recent life events and stress

Many episodes of depression and anxiety are apparently associated with a severe or chronic stressor. Loss of a loved one, unemployment, divorce, poverty, racism and discrimination, illness, a car accident, being mugged, are just some examples. Research supports this notion. For instance, Kenneth Kendler and his team (e.g. Kendler and Prescott, 2006) found that the onset of episodes of major depression (MD) and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) was strongly linked to stressful life events in the last month in their study population of women (Figure 2).

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Figure 2 Odds ratios for major depression and generalised anxiety disorder among women associated with the occurrence of a life event in the same month. ‘Network’ is a woman’s social network, such as family and friends. An asterisk indicates that the odds ratio for MD or GAD associated with the given life event is statistically significant.

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The figure is a vertical bar chart in which 15 stressful life events are labelled along the horizontal axis. The vertical axis is labelled odds ratio and is marked from zero to 18 at intervals of 2 units. Almost all the results were statistically significant. The odds ratios for both MD and GAD were highest where the associated life event was assault: 18 for MD and 10 for GD. For the other life events, both odds ratios were much lower, ranging between 2 and 8. For the majority of the life events, the MD odds ratio exceeded the GAD ratio, most notably for network death, with an MD odds ratio of 6 and a GAD ratio of 0.7. However, with both work problems and a lost confidant, the GAD odds ratio was the higher.

Figure 2 Odds ratios for major depression and generalised anxiety disorder among women associated with the occurrence of a life event in ...

The chances of experiencing depression and anxiety are increased if a number of stressful life events follow in quick succession, if events are experienced as severe, and if they involve significant loss or personal humiliation (Kendler et al., 2003).

The chances of experiencing such disorders are also increased if other risk factors are present (Turner and Lloyd, 1995). For instance, in January 2010, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the number of suicides in the UK had risen sharply since the recession began, reversing the downward trend of the previous decade. Suicides rose by 6% from 5377 deaths in 2007 to 5706 deaths in 2008 among people over 15. Commenting on these results, Professor Rory O’Connor of Stirling University’s Suicidal Behaviour Research Group said: ‘Sadly this increase in suicide is not unexpected given we know there’s a relationship between past recessions and an increase in suicides … as well as the financial implications, there’s added stress on families and relationships, as well as the loss of social networks to support people’ (Bowcott, 2010).

However, the situation is even more complex because some personality traits can kindle stressful situations. Some stressful life events are independent of our own actions, but in others our actions may have helped create the stressful circumstances.

The chances of experiencing the second kind of stressful life event are higher in those with a ‘difficult’ or ‘neurotic’ temperament compared to those with a more ‘easygoing’ temperament (Section 1.5).