Outcome of depressive and anxiety disorders among young adults: Results from the Longitudinal Finnish Health 2011 Study

Abstract

Purpose of the study: We investigated the outcomes and outcome predictors of depressive and anxiety disorders in a general population sample of young adults with a lifetime history of these disorders.

Materials and methods: The study sample was derived from a nationally representative two-stage cluster sample of Finns aged 19–34 years. The original study was carried out in 2003–2005, and the follow-up in 2011. We investigated participants diagnosed with a depressive or anxiety disorder based on a SCID interview (excluding those with only a single specific phobia) (DAX-group, N = 181). The control group included those with no DSM-IV- diagnosis (N = 290). They were followed up with the M-CIDI interview assessing 12-month depressive and anxiety disorders in 2011.

Results: In 2011, 22.8% of the DAX-group was diagnosed with a depressive or anxiety disorder compared to 9.8% of the control group. Education was lower and quality of life worse in the DAX-group than in the control group. Those participants of the DAX-group who received a diagnosis in 2011 had poorer quality of life than those in remission, which emphasizes the influence of a current disorder on the quality of life. Higher score in the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) at baseline predicted poorer quality of life in 2011.

Conclusions: Thus, depressive and anxiety disorders were persistent/recurrent in one quarter of participants, significantly affecting education and quality of life. Young adults with these disorders need support to achieve their academic goals.

Keywords:

• Epidemiology
• follow-up study
• prognosis
• mental disorder

Acknowledgements

We thank Merja Blom, Margit Keinänen-Guillaume, Helena Kurru, Maija Lindgren, Ph.D., Taina Laajasalo, Ph.D., Marko Manninen, Ph.D., Tuula Mononen and Sebastian Therman, Ph.D. for the skillfully conducted interviews, and Tuula Koski, Kirsi Niinistö and Satu Viertiö, Ph.D. for administrative work. We also thank Arpo Aromaa, M.D., Ph.D. and all the other collaborators in the Health 2000 and 2011 study group, as well as all participants.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by the Academy of Finland, grant no. 210714 (Jaana Suvisaari) and Grant no 266251, the Competitive Research Funding of the Tampere University Hospital [Grant no. 9M054], the National Graduate School of Clinical investigation (Teija Kasteenpohja), the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research of the University of Helsinki (Teija Kasteenpohja), the Emil Aaltonen Foundation (Teija Kasteenpohja), the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation (Teija Kasteenpohja) and the Finnish Medical Foundation (Teija Kasteenpohja.). Funding sources had no further role in study design; in collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.