Table 1.
Demographic and health characteristics in participants with MDD versus without MDD
| Characteristic | With MDD (n = 10,710) | Without MDD* (n = 52,687) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), years | 44.4 (16.3)a | 49.4 (17.3)b |
| Female,† n (%) | 7558 (70.6)a | 27,957 (53.1)b |
| Race and ethnicity, n (%) | ||
| African American | 943 (8.8)a | 5922 (11.2)b |
| American Indian | 90 (0.8)a | 255 (0.5)b |
| Asian | 366 (3.4)a | 4384 (8.3)b |
| Hispanic | 1206 (11.3)a | 5579 (10.6)b |
| Multiracial | 414 (3.9)a | 929 (1.8)b |
| White | 7573 (70.7)a | 34,923 (66.3)b |
| Other‡ | 118 (1.1)a | 695 (1.3)a |
| Marital status: single/not living with partner, n (%) | 5706 (53.3)a | 20,994 (39.9)b |
| Less than university education, n (%) | 4875 (45.5)a | 18,205 (34.6)b |
| Annual household income, n (%) | ||
| < $25,000 | 2497 (23.3)a | 6243 (11.9)b |
| $25,000 to < $50,000 | 2961 (27.7)a | 10,168 (19.3)b |
| $50,000 to < $75,000 | 1949 (18.2)a | 9570 (18.2)a |
| > $75,000 | 2928 (27.3)a | 23,930 (45.4)b |
| Declined to answer | 375 (3.5)a | 2776 (5.3)b |
| Unemployed,± n (%) | 4889 (45.7)a | 20,597 (39.1)b |
| Long- or short-term disability, n (%) | 944 (8.8)a | 887 (1.7)b |
| Health insurance type, n (%) | ||
| Coverage through employer§ | 4595 (42.9)¶ | 24,657 (46.8)¶ |
| Medicare | 2194 (20.5)a | 12,217 (23.2)b |
| Medicaid/MediCal | 1367 (12.8)a | 2636 (5.0)b |
| Other insurance coverage# | 1354 (12.6)≠ | 6252 (11.9)≠ |
| No insurance | 1016 (9.5)a | 5781 (11.0)b |
| Unsure | 184 (1.7)a | 1144 (2.2)b |
| Number of comorbid mental health diagnoses, mean (SD) | 1.6 (1.5)a | 0.1 (0.5)b |
| Other mental health disorders, n (%) | ||
| Anxiety | 6628 (61.9)a | 2636 (5.0)b |
| GAD | 3574 (33.4)a | 1181 (2.2)b |
| Social anxiety disorder | 1761 (16.4)a | 347 (0.7)b |
| PTSD | 1269 (11.9)a | 256 (0.5)b |
| Panic disorder | 1145 (10.7)a | 273 (0.5)b |
| OCD | 823 (7.7)a | 283 (0.5)b |
| ADD | 724 (6.8)a | 485 (0.9)b |
| ADHD | 454 (4.2)a | 356 (0.7)b |
| Phobias | 216 (2.0)a | 69 (0.1)b |
| Dementia | 28 (0.3)a | 50 (0.1)b |
| Do not exercise, n (%) | 4298 (40.1)a | 14,200 (27.0)b |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 2056 (19.2)a | 6425 (12.2)b |
| BMI, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 30.0 (8.3)a | 27.2 (6.5)b |
| CCI, mean (SD) | 0.67 (1.3)a | 0.34 (0.9)b |
| PHQ-9 score (0–27), mean (SD) | 9.8 (6.7)a | 3.5 (5.7)b |
| GAD-7 score (0–21), mean (SD) | 7.5 (5.6)a | 2.6 (4.4)b |
| Time since diagnosis, mean (SD), years | 13.8 (10.9) | – |
| Total number of depressive symptoms,|| mean (SD) | 2.5 (0.9) | – |
| Depressed mood and other emotional problems, n (%) | 9225 (89.0) | – |
| Mental changes, n (%) | 5010 (48.3) | – |
| Sleep pattern changes, n (%) | 4700 (45.3) | – |
| Currently using prescribed medication for MDD, n (%) | 6516 (60.8) | – |
| Medications currently being used, n (%) | ||
| SSRI/SNRIs | 5254 (80.6) | – |
| Bupropion | 1359 (20.9) | – |
| Atypical antipsychotics/antipsychotic combination pills** | 490 (7.5) | – |
| TCA/TeCAs | 215 (3.3) | – |
| Other antidepressants†† | 117 (1.8) | – |
| Mood stabilizers | 109 (1.7) | – |
| MAOIs | 6 (0.1) | – |
| Not currently using medication for depression, n (%) | 4194 (39.2) | |
| Previously used prescribed medication for MDD (if not on currently), n (%)‡‡ | 2653 (63.3) | – |
| Medication adherence (0–100 VAS scale), mean (SD) | 87.3 (22.9) | – |
Superscripts in the same row represent pairwise comparisons between cohorts. Values with different superscripts are significantly different at P < 0.05; values without superscripts were not included in the test. In addition to pairwise comparison, one-way ANOVA was used to compare across groups for the following variables: age, CCI, BMI, number of comorbid mental health conditions, PHQ-9 scores, GAD-7 scores, time since diagnosis, total number of depressive symptoms, and medication adherence (all P < 0.001); all other variables (e.g., sex, race and ethnicity) were first compared across all groups using chi-square (all P < 0.001 except for sleep pattern changes, MAOIs [P < 0.01], current prescription medication use status, bupropion [P < 0.05] depressed mood and other emotional problems, SSRI/SNRIs, TCA/TeCAs, other antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and previously used a prescribed medication for MDD [P > 0.05])
ADD attention deficit disorder, ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, BMI body mass index, BP-I bipolar I disorder, CCI Charlson Comorbidity Index, GAD-7 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment-7, GAD Generalized Anxiety Disorder, MAOI monoamine oxidase inhibitor, MDD major depressive disorder, MDQ Mood Disorder Questionnaire, OCD obsessive compulsive disorder, PHQ-9 Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder, SD standard deviation, SNRI serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, SSRI selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, TCA tricyclic antidepressants, TeCA tetracyclic antidepressants, VAS visual analogue scale
*Participants without MDD also screened negative for BP-I on the MDQ
†Sex was self-reported by participants as male or female
‡Other referred to participants who reported their race as “some other race or origin”
±Participants who reported their employment status as one of the following were considered unemployed: homemaker, retired, student, long-term disability, or short-term disability, not employed but looking for work, and not employed and not looking for work
§Refers to insurance coverage from the employer of the participant, their spouse/partner, or their parent/legal guardian; each category was significant at P < 0.05 in pairwise comparisons
¶Reflects the sum of participants with insurance coverage from their employer, their spouse/partner, or their parent/legal guardian; each category was significant at P < 0.05 in pairwise comparisons
#Other insurance coverage includes individual/family insurance plan through a State Health Exchange or purchased by the individual, or Veterans Administration of CHAMPUS/TRICARE
≠Reflects the sum of participants with individual/family insurance through a State Health Exchange or purchased by the individual, or insurance through Veterans Administration/CHAMPUS or TRICARE; in pairwise comparison, individual/family insurance through a State Health Exchange or purchased by the individual and insurance through Veterans Administration/CHAMPUS was significant at P < 0.05
||Of those currently experiencing symptoms, including depressed mood and other emotional problems, eating, sleep, or mental changes, social problems, and physical problems
**Includes the combination pills amitriptyline/perphenazine and fluoxetine/olanzapine
††Other antidepressants included mirtazapine and nefazodone
‡‡Percentage calculated from participants currently not on prescribed medication