NEUROBIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER SEVERITY

Abstract

In this study, a mixed-methods analytical framework that incorporated neurobiological measurements, psychological assessments, and social risk measures was used to examine how each and all of them affected the level of Major Depression Disorder (MDD). Quantitative analyses were done on correlations between biological markers, cognitive-emotional variables and social stressors, and integrative modeling assessed cumulative and interaction effects between domains. The findings showed that neurobiological malregulation, particularly in terms of the stress-response and inflammatory pathways, was significantly linked to high severity of depression. Psychological constructs, including negative cognitive schemas, lack of emotion regulation, and increased perception of stress, proved to be good predictors and mediators of the severity of symptoms. Social factors that may individually predict more serious issues and exacerbate biological and psychological vulnerability are low socioeconomic status, insufficient social support, and chronic psychosocial adversity. Individuals who experienced multiplicative risks in each of the three domains were characterized by the most adverse clinical profiles, and this indicates that the effect is synergistic and not additive.