(A) Response to antidepressant (nefazodone), psychotherapy (CBASP), and the combination (nefazodone and CBASP) as a function of treatment type and early adverse life events in patients with chronic forms of major depression. In this completer analysis, the effect of the presence or absence of histories of childhood adversity (parental loss, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) on HRSD₂₄ scores was evaluated. A general linear model with two factors (treatment and childhood adverse experience) was computed. ^*, There was a significant interaction of effects of treatment type and parental loss (F = 4.46, df = 1,495, P = 0.0121), physical abuse (F = 3.25, df = 1,495, P = 0.03), neglect (F = 4.82, df = 1,495, P = 0.0084), and any trauma (F = 3.13, df = 1,495, P = 0.0446). The patients with any early life trauma responded well to psychotherapy alone or the combined treatment but not to antidepressant alone. Patients with chronic depression with early life trauma responded equally well to antidepressant and CBASP. (B) Remission rates as a function of treatment type and early adverse life events in patients with chronic forms of major depression. Remission was defined as HRSD₂₄ score ≥8. ^*, Completer analysis using logistic modeling revealed a significantly higher remission rate in the patients with chronic forms of major depression and early life trauma treated with psychotherapy compared to antidepressant treatment (Wald χ² = 6.8912, df = 1, P = 0.0087). The effect was confirmed in the LOCF analysis (Wald χ² = 6.5315, df = 1, P = 0.0106). The likelihood of achieving remission in patients with chronic forms of major depression and any early adverse life event was twice as high after treatment with psychotherapy when compared to antidepressant therapy (odds ratio = 2.322, 95% confidence interval = 1.225-4.066). Further analysis of type of early trauma indicates that this effect was particularly prominent in patients with chronic forms of depression and parental loss (odds ratio for remission after psychotherapy versus antidepressant = 2.7857, 95% confidence interval = 1.295-6.182).