Demographic and clinical characteristics of study participants
| Characteristic | Depressed patients (n = 60) | Healthy controls (n = 43) | Group differences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, no. (%) | 48 F (80) | 38 F (88.4) | NS* |
| BDI-II score, mean ± SD | 24.31 ± 10.37 | 3.07 ± 3.44 | t74 = 14.66, p < 0.001 |
| Age, yr, mean ± SD (range) | 17.30 ± 3.44 (13–27) | 17.62 ± 3.85 (12–27) | t101 = −0.44, p = 0.66 |
| Secondary diagnosis, no.† | Anorexia nervosa: 2 Social phobia: 6 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: 4 Socialized conduct disorder: 3 Specific phobia: 2 Borderline personality disorder: 1 | — | — |
| Handedness, no. (%)‡ | 58 right-handed (96.7) | 40 right-handed (93) | NS* |
| Intake of psychotropic medication currently or in the past > 2 months, no.§ | Antidepressant (mirtazepine: 3; fluoxetine: 2; escitalopram: 2; sertraline: 3) Antipsychotic (quetiapine: 1) Psychostimulant (methylphenidate: 4) | — | — |
| Education level, no.¶ | Hauptschule: 10 Realschule: 23 Gymnasium: 20 Berufsschule: 5 Missing: 2 | Hauptschule: 5 Realschule: 13 Gymnasium: 22 Berufsschule: 3 | NS* |
NS = not significant; SD = standard deviation.
↵* χ2 test.
↵† Diagnosis according to DSM-IV; n = 18.
↵‡ Edinburgh Handedness Inventory; a independent sample t test.
↵§ n = 13.
↵¶ A Gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education, comparable to English grammar schools and United States college preparatory high schools. Hauptschule and Realschule are secondary schools. Berufsschule is a professional school that students attend along with an apprenticeship.