Serum Testosterone Levels and Symptom-Based Depression Subtypes in Men
Publisher DOI
PubMed ID
25999864
Abstract
The main objective of this preliminary study was to further clarify the association between testosterone (T) levels and depression by investigating symptom-based depression subtypes in a sample of 64 men. The data were taken from the ZInEP epidemiology survey. Gonadal hormones of a melancholic (n = 25) and an atypical (n = 14) depression subtype, derived from latent class analysis, were compared with those of healthy controls (n = 18). Serum T was assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure. Analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, non-parametrical tests, and generalized linear regression models were performed to examine group differences. The atypical depressive subtype showed significantly lower T levels compared with the melancholic depressives. While accumulative evidence indicates that, beyond psychosocial characteristics, the melancholic and atypical depressive subtypes are also distinguishable by biological correlates, the current study expanded this knowledge to include gonadal hormones. Further longitudinal research is warranted to disclose causality by linking the multiple processes in pathogenesis of depression.
Date Issued
2015-05-04
Publication Type
Article
Subject(s)
Subjects
testosterone
•
depression
•
subtypes
•
epidemiology
•
cross-sectional study
Language(s)
en
Author(s)
Rodgers, Stephanie | |
Hengartner, Michael P. | |
Müller, Mario | |
Aleksandrowicz, Aleksandra A. | |
Rössler, Wulf | |
Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta |
Additional Credits
Journal
Frontiers in psychiatry
Publisher
Frontiers
ISSN
1664-0640
Access(Rights)
open.access