Neuropsychological correlates of community function among major depressive disorder outpatients without comorbidity in Hong Kong: An exploratory cross-Sectional study

• Main Authors: Daniel Kwasi Ahorsu (Author), Ken Chung (Author), Ho Hon Wong (Author), Michael Gar Chung Yiu (Author), Yat Fung Mok (Author), Ka Shun Lei (Author), Hector W. H. Tsang (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2772-4204; 2772-4204; 10.4103/shb.shb_66_20
• Keywords: community function; executive function; major depressive disorder; neuropsychological function; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Social Sciences; H
• Source: Asian Journal of Social Health and Behavior, Vol 4, Iss 1, Pp 8-14 (2021)

Introduction: This exploratory cross-sectional study examined the effect of depression on neuropsychological and community function among major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients without comorbidity in comparison with healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Sixty-nine participants (23 for each group) participated in the study. They were assessed on psychological, neuropsychological function, and community function skills. Results: The results revealed that first episode MDD and recurrent episodes MDD outpatients still have a significantly higher level of depression, impaired mental state, and executive function and worse community function compared with HCs. Intervariable relationships analysis revealed qualitative differences between the three groups. Conclusion: The study provides preliminary evidence that MDD outpatients may need more targeted cognitive and psychosocial interventions to improve their executive and community function skills. Larger-scale studies to increase the validity and generalizability of the pilot data are suggested.