Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the participants at step 1 randomisation
| Titrate sertraline up to 50 mg/day by week 3 (n = 970) | Titrate sertraline up to 100 mg/day by week 3 (n = 1041) | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | ||
| Age, year mean (SD) | 43.3 (12.2) | 41.8 (12.3) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 572 (59.0) | 506 (48.6) |
| Education year, mean (SD) | 13.8 (2.2) | 14.1 (2.5) |
| Job status, n (%) | ||
| Employed full-time | 398 (41.1) | 374 (36.0) |
| Employed part-time | 103 (10.6) | 76 (7.3) |
| On medical leave | 206 (21.3) | 328 (31.6) |
| Housewife | 114 (11.8) | 116 (11.9) |
| Student | 5 (0.5) | 14 (1.4) |
| Retired | 18 (1.9) | 5 (0.5) |
| Not employed | 124 (12.8) | 125 (12.0) |
| Missing | 2 | 3 |
| Marital status, n (%) | ||
| Single, never married | 262 (27.1) | 355 (34.1) |
| Single, divorced or separated | 148 (15.3) | 124 (11.9) |
| Single, widowed | 29 (3.0) | 25 (2.4) |
| Married | 528 (54.6) | 537 (51.6) |
| Missing | 3 | 0 |
| Clinical characteristics | ||
| Age of onset at first episode, years, mean (SD) | 38.6 (13.3) | 37.1 (13.5) |
| Number of previous depressive episodes, mean (SD) | 2.3 (4.2) | 2.2 (3.1) |
| Length of current episode, months, mean (SD) | 6.6 (17.2) | 5.3 (10.0) |
| Inpatient status at time of entry, n (%) | 2 (0.2) | 3 (0.3) |
| PHQ-9 at week 0 | 18.1 (4.1) | 18.8 (3.7) |
| PHQ-9 at week 1 | 14.7 (5.5) | 15.9 (4.9) |
| BDI-II at week 1 | 26.2 (10.9) | 28.7 (10.6) |
BDI-II Beck Depression Inventory 2nd edition, PHQ-9 Patient Health Questionnaire-9