The association between the high interpersonal sensitivity type of personality and a lifetime history of depression in a sample of employed Japanese adults

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although the 'high interpersonal sensitivity' type of personality has repeatedly been shown to be related to depression by case-control studies, no studies have confirmed whether this association also exists in a non-clinical sample. METHODS: Scores on the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM) were compared between employed Japanese adults with and without a lifetime diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The diagnosis was provided by the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, Lifetime version. A multiple logistic regression analysis estimated the odds ratios for having a lifetime diagnosis of depression. RESULTS: The scores on the IPSM were higher in the subjects with a lifetime history of depression than those without a lifetime history of depression. On the five subscales of the IPSM, the subjects with a lifetime history of depression showed higher scores on 'interpersonal awareness', 'need for approval', and 'separation anxiety' than those without a lifetime history of depression. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the subjects with the high interpersonal sensitivity type of personality had an increased risk for experiencing lifetime depression. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that high interpersonal sensitivity is a risk factor for depression even in a non-clinical sample from non-Western culture.