Background and Objectives: Research from recent decades provides strong evidence of an association between childhood adversity and later mental illness in adulthood. The current study analyzed the frequency and intensity of exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a clinical sample of patients with mood disorders. Effect sizes for each ACE were also evaluated for the onset of depressive disorders (DD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Materials and Methods: A study enrolled total of 147 patients admitted to the Psychiatry Department with diagnoses of DD or BD between October 2018 and December 2019. The control group comprised 156 healthy volunteers. Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), version 6.0. Adverse childhood experiences were assessed using a self-administered Adverse Childhood Experiences - International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Results: Results indicated that patients with mood disorders had significantly more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared to controls. The occurrence of high ACEs exposure (≥4 ACEs) was also notably greater among these patients. Higher cumulative ACEs scores correlated with increased likelihoods of depressive disorders (DD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Factors such as emotional and physical neglect, sexual abuse, household mental illness, having an incarcerated household member, collective violence, parental separation or death significantly raised the odds of DD. Similarly, household mental illness, emotional neglect, parental separation or death, and household substance abuse, collective violence significantly elevated the odds for BD. Multivariate binary logistic regression identified emotional neglect and household mental illness as independent predictors of DD and BD. Conclusions: Our results highlight a significant association between adverse childhood experiences and mood disorders. Early recognition of adversity in childhood and adolescence, and appropriate interventions, must play an important role in the prevention of mood disorders.

Background/Objectives: Identifying the factor most strongly associated with patients’ quality of life (QoL) is crucial for establishing treatment goals focused on improved recovery. This study aimed to determine whether sociodemographic factors, negative, or depressive symptoms have the strongest association with QoL. Methods: Inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia were recruited. We collected data on sociodemographic factors, asked patients to rate their well-being on a subjective well-being scale, and evaluated their psychopathology using observer-rated psychometric scales (Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Brief Negative Symptoms Scale (BNSS), and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) as well as self-rated scales (Self-evaluation Negative Symptoms Scale (SNS). QoL was evaluated using Short-Form 36 (SF-36). Patients were also divided into primary, prominent, and predominant negative symptom groups. We conducted correlation and linear regression analyses to identify which factors were most strongly associated with QoL. Results: In this study, 323 participants were included. The CDSS total score showed the strongest correlation with QoL scores, followed by negative symptoms assessed with the SNS. Positive and negative symptoms, assessed using either the PANSS or the BNSS, showed weak or insignificant correlations with QoL. Among sociodemographic factors, the subjective well-being score, previous history of hospitalization, or suicide attempts had the strongest correlation with QoL. CDSS scores were the variable with the strongest independent association with QoL in regression analysis. Conclusions: Depressive symptom severity showed the strongest and most consistent association with QoL across both correlation and multivariable analyses. These findings are hypothesis-generating and require longitudinal confirmation.