Gender Differences in Depression Among

Gender Differences in Depression Among College Students

Numerous studies show that twice as many women as men suffer from depression at some point in their lives (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2006). Experts believe that a variety of factors, including biological, psychosocial and cultural factors, are responsible for the increased likelihood of women to suffer from depression, and many believe that college-aged women are especially likely to fall victim to depression.

1999 report, titled Gender Differences in Depression Among College Students: A Multi-Cultural Perspective (Kelly et al., 1999), cited numerous studies, all of which found that female college students frequently had higher rates of depression that their male counterparts.

1994 report, titled the Emergence of Gender Differences in Depression During Adolescence (Nolen-Hoeksema and Girgus), revealed that prepubescent children show no gender differences in depression rates. However, after the age of 15, girls and women are about twice as likely to be depressed as boys and men.

The report outlined three models that aimed to describe how gender differences in depression might develop in early adolescence. The first model holds that the causes of depression are the same for both sexes, but these causes become more prevalent in girls than in boys when early adolescence kicks in. The second model hypothesizes that there are different causes of depression in both sexes, and the causes of girls' depression become more prevalent than the causes of boys' depression in early adolescence. The third model holds that girls have more risk factors for depression even before early adolescence, but these risk factors lead to depression when they face the challenges of early adolescent. Nolen-Hoeksema and Girgus conclude, in their report, that the third model makes the most sense and can be best supported by existing research.

While it is widely believed that college women are more susceptible to depression than men, the reasons for this phenomenon are less clear (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2006). Some experts believe that biological factors are largely responsible for the development of depression. For example, before children reach puberty, there are no apparent differences in rates of depression. After puberty, differences are seen. By age 15, females are almost twice as likely as males to have developed depression. This suggests that hormonal factors increase a woman's risk of developing depression. Still, it should be noted that puberty brings other changes that could play a role in depression, such as emerging sexuality and identity issues, parental conflicts and evolving social expectations. These factors could also play a role in depression.

Experts also argue that social and cultural factors play a large role in the differences between depression rates in college-aged women and men (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2006). For example, it is widely known that women earn less money than men do. Low socioeconomic status brings with it many concerns and stressors, including uncertainty about the future and less access to community and health care resources. Money and power issues contribute to feelings of passivity, negativism and lack of self-esteem, all of which contribute to depression.

In addition, women are more likely to be sexually abused as children (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2006). And victims of sexual abuse are more likely to experience depression at some point in their lives than are those who weren't abused. This means that female undergraduates who were sexually abused have a higher incidence of depression than their male counterparts.

This paper aims to analyze some of the fundamental cultural links to women's depression in college, and compare depression rates of females to males.

Hypothesis

While most experts agree that understanding gender differences in depression is important, many believe that it is also important to study the contexts in which differences in emotion expression and experience occur. For example, Shields (2000) stressed that researchers need to look into why, and in what contexts, gender differences occur.