Do coping mechanisms moderate the effect of stressful life events on depression and anxiety in young people? A case-control study from Latin America

Background

Stressful life events (SLEs) are associated with increased risk of depression or anxiety. Coping mechanisms may moderate this relationship but little is known on this topic in young people or in Latin America.

Aim

To investigate whether coping strategies predict odds of depression and/or anxiety and moderate the relationship between SLEs and depression and/or anxiety in young people in Peru, Lima and Bogotá.

Method

Using case–control data from people aged 15–24, we used logistic regression to examine associations between coping mechanism, SLEs and caseness for depression or anxiety, adjusting for sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors. We included interaction terms to model whether this association varied depending on coping mechanisms (positive cognitive restructuring, problem focused, support seeking, distraction, avoidant).

Results

We included 1437 cases and 965 controls. Cases reported less use of positive cognitive restructuring (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.75) and problem-focused coping (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.73 to 0.93), and more use of avoidance than controls (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.19 to 1.50) in adjusted models. They had greater odds of reporting lifetime (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.10) and past-year (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10) SLEs than controls. We found weak but consistent evidence of effect modification; the association between lifetime SLEs and case–control status was stronger in those who used less support seeking (p=0.09), problem-focused coping (p=0.08) or positive cognitive restructuring (p=0.09).

Conclusions

Relationships between SLEs, coping mechanisms and depression/anxiety appear similar in these Latin American cities to other contexts. Active coping strategies may ameliorate the impact of SLEs on mental health of young people.