Chunk #27 — Discussion — Selective effects of recent life events related to financial difficulties in interaction with the 5-HTTLPR genotype in the development of depressive symptoms
Previous work has supported the importance of financial stress in the development of depression. Finance-related and economic problems have been found to be related to the risk of onset and persistence of depressive episodes in previous studies.51 In a study investigating a broad range of risk factors predicting recurrence of depression in women, severe financial problems were the strongest predictors in the overall model52 and major financial crisis was among the most robust past-year stressful life event predictors of suicide attempts in 6004 major depressives.53 Furthermore, financial hardships, including having a lower income and being unemployed, were also associated with lower remission rates in depressed outpatients treated with citalopram in the STAR*D study,54 indicating a complex and multifaceted role of financial difficulties in contributing to the development of depression and having an impact on its course.
