Table 2 Some important questions that can be answered by longitudinal research
From: Longitudinal population-based studies of affective disorders: Where to from here?
Characterization of affective disorders | |
|---|---|
Symptoms across the life course | What is the lifetime prevalence of disorders? |
| Â | Do disorders tend to appear in a particular order? |
| Â | Is there a prodrome? |
| Â | Are there distinct trajectory subtypes and do these have the same aetiology? |
| Â | Are there distinct subtypes of symptom patterns over time? |
Classification of disorder | Are current classifications adequate or are there higher order structures that better represent affective disorders and their evolution over time? |
Aetiology of affective disorders | |
Determinants of recurrence | Are the factors that influence disorder recurrence or transformation to new disorder/comorbidity the same as those that determine incident symptoms? |
Influence of environmental factors | Does an individual's physical and social environment influence changes in symptom levels or type? |
Genetic research | Do specific syndrome or trajectory subtypes have distinct genetic determinants? |
Heterogeneity | Do specific syndrome or trajectory subtypes have differing etiology? |