Lifestyle Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Depression in Young Adults: Results from a Large Cross-Sectional Study in the General Population

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent mental disorder worldwide. 320 million people suffer from depression which is equivalent to ~11% of the adults’ population. MDD is also the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death until 29 years old. It is noteworthy that this mental disorder’s first onset appears at the beginning of adulthood. Beyond the individual impact of MDD, it also consists in a real burden for families and more generally, society. Indeed, MDD impacts everyday life, in all life domains. Lifestyle factors (e.g., sleep quality, physical activities) may play an important role in the prevention, development, progression, and treatment of depression. Consequently, our research aims at assessing the relationships between depressive symptoms and lifestyle in order to highlight which characteristics of the lifestyle consist in risk or protective factors against depression. Further, since adults aged between 18 and 29 years are the most at risk to develop depressive symptoms, we focus our protocol on this population. A minimum of 200 young adults (from 18 to 29 years) complete online questionnaires on lifestyle behaviors (e.g., mindfulness, stress management, sleep quality, dietary habits, physical activities) and depressive symptoms. Data collection is still ongoing. Correlational analysis will be performed to present the results during the conference. According to the research literature, it is expected that the relationship between lifestyle factors and depression will be confirmed at two levels of prevention and treatment.