Asian Journal of Social Health and Behavior (Jan 2021)

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

  • Daniel Kwasi Ahorsu,
  • Ken Chung,
  • Ho Hon Wong,
  • Michael Gar Chung Yiu,
  • Yat Fung Mok,
  • Ka Shun Lei,
  • Hector W. H. Tsang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/shb.shb_66_20
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 1
pp. 8 – 14

Abstract

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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.

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