Gender differences in depression and the adequacy of cognitive/behavioural theories.

Comments on methodological and conceptual issues raised in J. M. Stoppard's (see record 1989-29654-001) discussion of the adequacy of cognitive/behavioral theories for understanding depression in women. The author concurs with Stoppard's conclusions but questions her empirical support for such assertions. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in the development and adult outcome of co-occurring depression and delinquency in adolescence.

Using a dual trajectory modeling approach, we examined co-occurring trajectories of depression and delinquency from age 11 to age 18 and their relation to adult outcome six years later in a community sample of 1423 (674 boys) adolescents. We also examined the effects of childhood externalizing, internalizing, and social problems on trajectory membership for depression and delinquency. The results showed that although more girls than boys were likely to follow high-level, co-occurring trajectories on depression and delinquency, the adult outcome of adolescents following high-level trajectories on both domains was poorer for boys than for girls. However, the combination of decreasing depression symptoms and increasing delinquency symptoms across adolescence was related with poorer adult outcomes for girls compared to boys. Finally, whereas boys' high-level co-occurring trajectory of depression and delinquency was predicted by childhood aggression, girls' equivalent trajectory was predicted by childhood depression and delinquency. The findings support the “gender paradox” effect (Loeber & Keenan, 1994) stating that in disorders with an unequal gender ratio, members of the gender with the lower prevalence rate tend to be more seriously affected in terms of comorbidity and poor outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in mathematics.

Presents examples of disparate findings to show that it is not surprising that the debate about the magnitude of gender differences in mathematics continues in both the professional and lay communities. It is suggested that the media concludes prematurely that the mathematics performance of males is higher than females. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in productivity and impact.

Discusses the reasons (e.g., family commitments) suggested by R. Over (see record 1982-06344-001) for lesser productivity and impact for female psychologists and disagrees with the implication that, if such reasons had been considered in earlier studies, sex differences in productivity or citations would have evaporated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in sexual attitudes.

Developed a 102-item sexual attitudes questionnaire that was completed by 439 female and 374 male undergraduates as part of a larger attitude study. Factor analyses yielded 8 factors on which 74 of the 102 items loaded. ANOVA of the individual items showed that female and male Ss differed on 73 of the 102 items. Females were more responsible, conventional, and idealistic, whereas males were more permissive, instrumental, and control- and power-oriented. The means suggested that females were moderately conservative in sexual attitudes, while males were moderately permissive. Based on the factor analysis, the present authors formed 5 preliminary sexual attitudes scales. Correlations among the summed scale scores indicated that the scales were largely independent of each other. It is suggested that the multidimensional complexity of sexual attitudes and empirical explanations for the continuing gender differences in sexual attitudes should be studied. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in moral reasoning.

Explored the possibility that socialization into different sex roles for men and women may contribute to the observed sex difference in moral development. 40 undergraduates were classified as either masculine, feminine, or androgynous according to the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and were administered the Moral Judgment Interview (MJI). For half the Ss, the central character in the MJI dilemmas was a male and for the remaining half, a female. Results reveal that males, when judging from the perspective of a female character, provided reasons for her actions congruent with the Stage 3 level of moral reasoning. However, for the same action portrayed by a male character, reasons for his behavior were in accord with Stage 4. No difference for the female judges was found between the characters of either sex. Regardless of the protagonist's sex, Ss scored at Stage 3. Ss' moral reasoning did not differ according to their sex-role classification. Males, however, held more strongly than females the belief that male decisions on morality are based on law-and-order reasoning, and female decisions are made from an emotional perspective. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in cognitive diathesis-stress domain match: Implications for differential pathways to depression.

The frequency of cognitive diathesis-stress match was compared in a sample of depressed women and men to investigate hypotheses positing gender differences in the relation of cognitive diathesis-stress factors to depression. Depressed women were more likely to have experienced a match between a cognitive diathesis and a preonset negative stressor compared with depressed men. Comparisons of women and men on the cognitive and stress variables singly yielded differences in stress variables but not in cognitive variables. Depressed women were more likely to have experienced a negative severe event before the onset of depression and had a greater frequency of negative interpersonal events. Results supported the hypothesis of gender differences in pathways to depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in smoking cessation.

Gender differences in smoking quit rates are frequently reported and are the subject of much speculation. This study examined the generalizability of gender differences in abstinence across study sites, treatments, and time of relapse, as well as potential mediators and moderators of gender effects. Participants were smokers who participated in 3 randomized clinical trials of the nicotine patch (N?=?632). Men had higher cessation rates than women at all follow-ups. The impact of gender on abstinence was unaffected by controlling for study site, treatment. or time of relapse. There was little evidence for mediation or moderation of this relation by any of a host of predictor variables. The magnitude and consistency of the gender differential, coupled with an inability to account for it, highlights a compelling need for additional research specifically aimed at elucidating the relation between gender and abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in cognitive development.

The potential effect of gender on intellectual abilities remains controversial. The purpose of this research was to analyze gender differences in cognitive test performance among children from continuous age groups. For this purpose, the normative data from 7 domains of the newly developed neuropsychological test battery, the Evaluación Neuropsicológica Infantil [Child Neuropsychological Assessment] (Matute, Rosselli, Ardila, & Ostrosky-Solis, 2007), were analyzed. The sample included 788 monolingual children (350 boys, 438 girls) ages 5 to 16 years from Mexico and Colombia. Gender differences were observed in oral language (language expression and language comprehension), spatial abilities (recognition of pictures seen from different angles), and visual (Object Integration Test) and tactile perceptual tasks, with boys outperforming girls in most cases, except for the tactile tasks. Gender accounted for only a very small percentage of the variance (1%–3%). Gender × Age interactions were observed for the tactile tasks only. It was concluded that gender differences during cognitive development are minimal, appear in only a small number of tests, and account for only a low percentage of the score variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

More on reporting sex differences.

Expands on points made by A. Eagly (see record 1988-00051-001) on reporting sex differences in psychological literature, and suggests that (1) the majority of articles do not analyze gender differences in Ss and (2) when gender differences are found, there may be implicit biases in their interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in acute tobacco withdrawal: Effects on subjective, cognitive, and physiological measures.

Gender differences in tobacco withdrawal are of considerable clinical importance, but research findings on this topic have been mixed. Methodological variation in samples sizes, experimental design, and measures across studies may explain the inconsistent results. The current study examined whether male (n = 101) and female (n = 102) smokers (≥15 cigarettes/day) differed in abstinence-induced changes on a battery of self-report measures (withdrawal, affect, craving), cognitive performance tasks (attention, psychomotor performance), and physiological responses (heart rate, blood pressure, brain electroencephalogram). Participants attended 2 counterbalanced laboratory sessions, 1 following 12 hr of abstinence and the other following ad libitum smoking. Results showed that women reported greater abstinence-induced increases in negative affect, withdrawal-related distress, and urge to smoke to relieve withdrawal distress. In contrast, both genders reported similar abstinence-induced changes in positive affect and urge to smoke for pleasure. Men and women exhibited generally similar abstinence-induced changes in physiological and cognitive performance measures. In addition, gender did not moderate the association between withdrawal symptoms and baseline measures of smoking behavior and dependence. Abstinence-induced changes in withdrawal distress mediated the effect of gender on latency until the 1st cigarette of the day at trend levels ( p     

Gender differences in interaction style and influence.

Observed 128 Ss in mixed- and same-sex dyads to examine effect of interaction on sex differences in influence. Ss discussed 2 topics on which they disagreed. During the 2nd discussion, 1 S in each pair was told to influence the other. Ss showed more agreement and positive social behavior when paired with a woman and more disagreement and task behavior when paired with a man. Although women were more easily influenced, this effect was mediated by the partners' behavior. Ss were influenced more by a partner who agreed with them and less by one who disagreed. Path analyses and ANCOVAS revealed that Ss' sex predicted the partners' behavior toward them, which in turn predicted the sex difference in influence. When instructed to be influential, Ss increased disagreements, but only with male partners. Results indicate that the masculine interaction style used when interacting with men is less effective than the feminine style used when interacting with women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in satisfaction with grandparenting.

177 grandmothers and 105 grandfathers completed mail questionnaires that consisted of 51 Likert-scale items covering demographic and family background and grandparenting satisfaction and perceived responsibilities (disciplining, caretaking, helping, advising). Ss were White and aged 45–90 yrs. Findings show that grandmothers' satisfaction scores significantly exceeded those of grandfathers and that perceived responsibilities for grandchildren's care and for helping grandchildren contributed to the satisfaction of both grandmothers and grandfathers. Results also indicate, however, that family and individual characteristics contributed to men's but not to women's satisfaction with grandparenting and different variables predicted men's and women's satisfaction scores. Possible sources of these gender differences are discussed. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder.

One of the most consistent findings in the epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the higher risk of this disorder in women. Explanations reviewed within a psychobiological model of PTSD suggest that women's higher PTSD risk may be due to the type of trauma they experience, their younger age at the time of trauma exposure, their stronger perceptions of threat and loss of control, higher levels of peritraumatic dissociation, insufficient social support resources, and greater use of alcohol to manage trauma-related symptoms like intrusive memories and dissociation, as well as gender-specific acute psychobiological reactions to trauma. This review demonstrates the need for additional research of the gender differences in posttraumatic stress. Recommendations are made for clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences and adolescent depression.

This study investigates the role of certain psychosocial variables—sex, age, body image/self-esteem, self-consciousness, stressful life events, and the degree to which an individual identifies with the cultural stereotype of masculinity—as correlates and antecedents to depression in adolescents and explores possible intraindividual mediators of the stress–depression relationship in adolescents. A battery of self-report measures was administered to public high school students in Grades 9–12 in their classrooms at two different times 1 month apart. Female adolescents reported more depressive symptoms, self-consciousness, stressful recent events, feminine attributes, and negative body image and self-esteem; no age effects were obtained. Results suggest a model of adolescent depression in which body image/self-esteem and stressful recent events are significant contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in correlates of job satisfaction.

Compared the relationships between evaluations of specific job attributes and overall job satisfaction for men and women. Data from a 1977 national survey of 1,524 Canadians show differences between the sexes in assessed quality of job attributes. Although some hypotheses concerning gender differences for strengths of relation between evaluations and satisfaction were confirmed, the magnitude of these differences was small. Results are discussed in relation to changing attitudes toward work on the part of women. (French abstract) (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and dilemma differences in real-life moral judgment.

The authors investigated the effects of gender, gender role, and type of moral dilemma on moral maturity and moral orientation. Fifty-five female and 55 male university students were given the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (J. T. Spence & R. L. Helmreich, 1978), L. Kohlberg's test of moral judgment, and instructions to discuss a personal and impersonal real-life moral dilemma. Moral stage, moral orientation, and the relation between them varied across dilemmas. Females were more consistent than males in moral stage; males were more consistent in moral orientation. Females made higher stage and more care-based moral judgments than males made on personal real-life dilemmas. The observed variations occurred primarily because males reported more Stage 2, justice-pulling antisocial dilemmas than females, and females reported more Stage 3, care-pulling prosocial dilemmas than males. A more interactional model of moral judgment than the models of L. Kohlberg and C. Gilligan is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in evaluations of tobacco and alcohol advertisements.

Examined the relation between gender and reactions to different styles of advertising tobacco and alcohol products among 41 females and 34 males (aged 12–16 yrs) and their parents (39 mothers and 36 fathers). Self-monitoring was also examined as a possible correlate. Ss rated magazine advertisements oriented toward the product's image or qualities. Girls liked image-oriented advertisements more and perceived them to be more persuasive than quality-oriented advertising. This gender difference was not observed among adults. All Ss liked image-oriented more than quality-oriented advertising. Moreover, image-oriented advertisements were seen as more persuasive than quality-oriented advertisements by girls' parents who were high in self-monitoring. Results suggest that girls in early adolescence may be particularly attentive to image-oriented commercials that portray smoking and drinking as desirable behaviors. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in self-esteem: A meta-analysis.

Two analyses were conducted to examine gender differences in global self-esteem. In Analysis I, a computerized literature search yielded 216 effect sizes, representing the testing of 97,121 respondents. The overall effect size was 0.21, a small difference favoring males. A significant quadratic effect of age indicated that the largest effect emerged in late adolescence (d?=?0.33). In Analysis II, gender differences were examined using 3 large, nationally representative data sets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). All of the NCES effect sizes, which collectively summarize the responses of approximately 48,000 young Americans, indicated higher male self-esteem (ds ranged from 0.04 to 0.24). Taken together, the 2 analyses provide evidence that males score higher on standard measures of global self-esteem than females, but the difference is small. Potential reasons for the small yet consistent effect size are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in temperament: A meta-analysis.

The authors used meta-analytical techniques to estimate the magnitude of gender differences in mean level and variability of 35 dimensions and 3 factors of temperament in children ages 3 months to 13 years. Effortful control showed a large difference favoring girls and the dimensions within that factor (e.g., inhibitory control: d = -.41, perceptual sensitivity: d = -0.38) showed moderate gender differences favoring girls, consistent with boys' greater incidence of externalizing disorders. Surgency showed a difference favoring boys, as did some of the dimensions within that factor (e.g., activity: d = 0.33, high-intensity pleasure: d = 0.30), consistent with boys' greater involvement in active rough-and-tumble play. Negative affectivity showed negligible gender differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)