Constance Hammen talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's New Hot Paper in the field of
Psychiatry/Psychology.
Article Title: Stress and depression
Authors: Hammen,
C
Journal: ANNU REV CLIN PSYCHOL
Volume: 1
Page: :293-319
Year: 2005
* Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Psychol, Los Angeles, CA
90095 USA.
* Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Psychol, Los Angeles, CA
90095 USA.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
Stress is an important construct in understanding many disorders, and
perhaps especially depression, and is a very active topic of research. A
review article like mine is a good citation in place of listing a lot of
references, and can also serve as a shorthand statement of up-to-date
information on the topic.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
It presents a synthesis of knowledge on the stress-depression field, and
tries to highlight new directions for research.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
Stress plays a critical role in depression, and is the trigger of
depressive responses in the vast majority of cases. However, most people
who face stressors do not get depressed, and the article attempts to
describe what kinds of stress, what kinds of depression, and what kinds of
personal characteristics are most susceptible to a stress-depression link.
"...there is no question that social
adversity in many forms (low income,
discrimination, single parenting,
unemployment, or job insecurity—the
list goes on) is extremely
stressful."
There are also many intriguing aspects of the stress-depression link that
we are becoming more aware of. For one thing, sometimes people with
depression histories seem to contribute to the occurrence of stress and may
be caught up in, or select themselves into, circumstances that will likely
create more stress (and more depression). An example would be selecting a
mate with whom conflict keeps recurring.
Another example of an interesting stress-depression connection is the idea
that the nature of the association may change with repeated
depression—so that possibly with time it takes less stress to trigger
depression. These questions guarantee that stress continues to be an
important topic of research.
How did you become involved in this research, and
were there any problems along the way?
I have been a depression researcher all my career, and inevitably, in order
to understand depression, one has to understand the kinds of lives people
are living. I became intrigued with how stressful the lives of some
depressed people are, even when they are not currently depressed, and how
hard it is for many to find effective ways to cope with chronic and acute
stress. Depressed people have led me to questions to pursue that have been
fruitful, and the biggest challenge has been to find accurate and thorough
ways to measure stress objectively.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
Presently, I am interested in two directions that are relatively new for
me. One is the study of exposure to stress early in life and how it affects
both the occurrence of later stress and how the person reacts to stress.
The other is the integration of stress studies with biological mechanisms,
such as genetic characteristics, to help further refine the question of why
some people, but not others, develop depression when faced with stressors.
Do you foresee any social or political implications
for your research?
Only indirectly: there is no question that social adversity in many forms
(low income, discrimination, single parenting, unemployment, or job
insecurity—the list goes on) is extremely stressful. Stressed and
depressed parents typically have negative effects on their children's
mental health and adjustment.
Political and social policies that take people out of poverty, that provide
resources to promote health and well-being and support families of all
kinds, would definitely help to reduce depression, not just in adults but
potentially help break the cycle of stress-depression that impairs the
whole family.
Constance Hammen, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
Department of Psychology
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA, USA Web
KEYWORDS: STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS; CHRONIC STRESS; STRESS
SENSITIZATION; STRESS GENERATION; REACTIVITY TO STRESS.