Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants
| Variables | Healthy controls (n = 28) |
LQS subtypea (n = 30) | HSD subtypea (n = 20) | p valueb,c |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%)b | 17 (60.7) | 25 (83.3) | 10 (50.0) | 0.035 |
| Age (y)c | 34.1 ± 8.1 | 38.1 ± 13.4 | 41.5 ± 13.7 | 0.107 |
| Educational level, n (%)b | 0.331 | |||
| Primary | 2 (7.1) | 6 (20.0) | 5 (25.0) | |
| Middle | 5 (17.9) | 4 (13.3) | 5 (25.0) | |
| Highd | 21 (75.0) | 20 (66.7) | 10 (50.0) | |
| Marital status, n (%)b | 0.734 | |||
| Married | 23 (82.1) | 26 (86.7) | 18 (90.0) | |
| Single/divorced/widowed | 5 (17.9) | 4 (13.3) | 2 (10.0) | |
| Income level, n (%)b,e | 0.775 | |||
| Low | 4 (14.3) | 7 (23.3) | 3 (15.0) | |
| Middle | 17 (60.7) | 18 (60.0) | 14 (70.0) | |
| High | 7 (25.0) | 5 (16.7) | 3 (15.0) | |
| Family history with severe mental diseases, n (%)b,f | 3 (10.7) | 4 (13.3) | 0 | 0.250 |
| Comorbid conditions, n (%)b,g | 3 (10) | 4 (20) | 0.560 | |
| Medication history, n (%)b,h | 0.803 | |||
| SSRIs/SNRIsa | 25 (83.3) | 18 (90.0) | ||
| Antipsychotics | 5 (16.7) | 2 (10.0) | ||
| Previous depressive episode, n (%)b | 0.684 | |||
| Single | 18 (60.0) | 10 (50.0) | ||
| Multiple | 12 (40.0) | 10 (50.0) | ||
| Duration of the illness (months)c,i | 39.5 ± 60.9 | 33.6 ± 47.8 | 0.716 | |
| HAMD-24 scorea,c | 32.5 ± 8.5 | 30.1 ± 6.5 | 0.286 |
a LQS Liver Qi Stagnation, HSD Heart and Spleen Deficiency, SSRIs selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SNRIs serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, HAMD-24 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
b Categorical data was analyzed using Chi square (χ2) test
c Continuous data are expressed mean ± SD and analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the three groups and Student t-test for LQS and HSD subtypes
d High levels included high school, college, and postgraduate education
e Compared to average local household incomes
f Severe mental diseases mainly included schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and severe depression
g Most comorbid conditions were cardiovascular and diabetic diseases
h SSRIs mainly included paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, and fluoxetine. SNRIs mainly include venlafaxine and duloxetine. Antipsychotics mainly include quetiapine, olanzapine, and risperidone. All medications were taken earlier than 3 months ago at screening
i Duration of the illness was calculated from the first episode of depression