Background: First, this study aims to investigate the reliability of biographical and personality data, i.e. analysing the impact of depressive mood on these variables. Second, the influence of early life experience and personality on the reporting of life events was examined.
Methods: Self-reporting questionnaires were administered for a sample of 250 depressive subjects at the beginning, and to assess the influence of depressive mood on the reporting of biographic data at the end of inpatient treatment we used a random sample of 50 subjects out of the 250 patients.
Results: Biographical data, unlike personality data, are not significantly influenced by depressive mood and depressive cognition. The number of life-events, and their mean subjective stress, neuroticisms and aim-relatedness are on a direct path strongly influenced by biographical data. That means that the more negatively primary socialisation was reported, the more life-events were communicated, with corresponding increases in the reporting of their subjective stress, and more neuroticism and less aim-relatedness, and vice versa. Neuroticism strongly influences in a positive way, and aim-relatedness negatively influences in a medium way, the number of life-events and their subjective stress. That means the higher neuroticism and the lower aim-relatedness were reported, the more life-events and higher stress were communicated, and vice versa.
Conclusion: Linear causal processes from mood-independent factors (e.g. biographical factors, vulnerability) may be the beginning of cyclic causal processes, i.e. vicious circles between life-events and mood-dependent factors (e.g. personality variables).
Limitations: According to the design of the investigation there is no differentiation possible between personality and depression.
Clinical relevance: To avoid vicious circles between life-events and mood-dependent factors, preventive psychotherapeutic intervention seems to be necessary to avoid the genesis of harmful life-events.