Epidemiology of depression and alcohol abuse/dependence in a managerial and professional work force

Abstract

Detailed clinical interviews focusing on depression and alcohol abuse/dependence were conducted with 1870 managers and professionals drawn from a major US corporation. Among men, the lifetime and 1-year prevalence rates of DSM-III-R major depression were 23% and 9%, respectively. Among women, the rates were 36% and 17%, respectively. Lifetime and 1-year prevalence rates of DSM-III-R alcohol abuse/dependence were 16% and 4% for men, and 9% and 4% for women. Imposing a requirement that alcohol-related symptoms cluster together in time reduced the lifetime and 1-year prevalence rates to 11% and 3% for men and 5% and 2% for women. The odds ratio for the lifetime occurrence of depression and alcohol abuse/dependence with such clustering was 2.28. The three most important risk factors for depression were being female, separated or divorced, and having a family history of depression. For alcohol abuse/dependence, the most important risk factors were being male, unmarried, and having a family history of alcoholism. Manager/professional status, length of employment, hours worked per day, and supervisory responsibility were not statistically associated with either DSM-III-R major depression or alcohol abuse/dependence.