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Gains in employment status following antidepressant medicationor cognitive therapy for depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jay C. Fournier*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Robert J. DeRubeis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jay Amsterdam
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Richard C. Shelton
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Steven D. Hollon
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
*
Jay C. Fournier, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Universityof Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic,3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Email: fournierjc@upmc.edu
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Abstract

Background

Depression can adversely affect employment status.

Aims

To examine whether there is a relative advantage of cognitive therapy or antidepressant medication in improving employment status following treatment, using data from a previously reported trial.

Method

Random assignment to cognitive therapy (n = 48) or the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine (n = 93) for 4 months; treatment responders were followed for up to 24 months. Differential effects of treatment on employment status were examined.

Results

At the end of 28 months, cognitive therapy led to higher rates of full-time employment (88.9%) than did antidepressant medication among treatment responders (70.8%), χ2 1 = 5.78, P = 0.02, odds ratio (OR) = 5.66, 95% CI 1.16–27.69. In the shorter-term, the main effect of treatment on employment status was not significant following acute treatment(χ2 1 = 1.74, P = 0.19, OR = 1.77, 95% CI 0.75–4.17); however, we observed a site×treatment interaction(χ2 1 = 6.87, P = 0.009) whereby cognitive therapy led to a higher rate of full-time employment at one site but not at the other.

Conclusions

Cognitive therapy may produce greater improvements in employmentv. medication, particularly over the longer term.

Information

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2015 
Figure 0

Fig. 1 Flow of participants through the trial.LIFE, Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation; LOCF, last observation carried forward; Not expected to work, one of the eight LIFE categories that were deemed unclassifiable.

Figure 1

Fig. 2 Per cent employed full time and unemployed across the 28-month observation period.The figure displays the percentages of individuals in each condition who were employed full time or who were unemployed; the percentage who were working part time can be calculated by subtracting the sum of the displayed categories from 100%. *P<0.05.

Figure 2

Table 1 Intake employment status by condition and site

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