Personality factors in transient versus enduring depression among inpatient alcoholic women: A preliminary analysis

The purpose of this study was to determine if personality characteristics identified by Million (1983) as strongly predisposing to enduring depression are useful in discriminating between transient and enduring depression in alcoholic women. A strong association was found between scores on a scale measuring passive-aggressive personality features and enduring depression among women completing treatment for alcohol abuse. Enduring depression among the alcoholic women in this study was also moderately associated with scores on a scale measuring avoidant personality features. Transient depression was positively associated with scores on a scale gauging compulsive-conforming characteristics. Results of this study of alcoholic women are generally consistent with the results of McMahon and Davidson's (1985) investigation of alcoholic men in indicating that personality factors usefully discriminate between transient and enduring depression.