Life With Corona: Increased Gender Differences in Aggression and Depression Symptoms Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Burden in Germany

Abstract

Gender differences (GD) in mental health have come under renewed scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic. While rapidly emerging evidence indicates a deterioration of mental health in general, it remains unknown whether the pandemic will have an impact on GD in mental health. To this end, we investigate the association of the pandemic and its countermeasures affecting everyday life, labor, and households with changes in GD in aggression, anxiety, depression, and the somatic symptom burden. We analyze cross-sectional data from 10,979 individuals who live in Germany and who responded to the online survey “Life with Corona” between October 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. We estimate interaction effects from generalized linear models. The analyses reveal no pre-existing GD in aggression but exposure to COVID-19 and COVID-19 countermeasures is associated with sharper increases in aggression in men than in women. GD in anxiety decreased among participants with children in the household (with men becoming more anxious). We also observe pre-existing and increasing GD with regards to the severity of depression, with women presenting a larger increase in symptoms during the hard lockdown or with increasing stringency. In contrast to anxiety, GD in depression increased among participants who lived without children (women > men), but decreased for individuals who lived with children; here, men converged to the levels of depression presented by women. Finally, GD in somatic symptoms decreased during the hard lockdown (but not with higher stringency), with men showing a sharper increase in symptoms, especially when they lived with children or alone. Taken together, the findings indicate an increase in GD in mental health as the pandemic unfolded in Germany, with rising female vulnerability to depression and increasing male aggression. The combination of these two trends further suggests a worrying mental health situation for singles and families. Our results have important policy implications for the German health system and public health policy. This public health challenge requires addressing the rising burden of pandemic-related mental health challenges and the distribution of this burden between women and men, within families and for individuals who live alone.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health, Quality of Life and Intrafamilial Relations – A Population-Based Survey in Germany

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, this gender difference even exacerbated ( Covid-19 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2021 ). Women were shown to have higher levels of anxiety and depression ( Benke et al, 2020 ; Abreu et al, 2021 ; Ferreira et al, 2021 ) and a lower quality of life ( Teotônio et al, 2020 ; Ferreira et al, 2021 ) compared to men during the pandemic. In line with these results, our data show enhanced risk for a decreased general health status, and furthermore enhanced risk for a decrease of quality of life and relationship with their partner compared to men.…”

The Impact of Mental Health and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction during the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Results of a Population-Based Survey in Germany

“…Special attention should be drawn towards groups of people that might be more prone to such adverse consequences. As such, studies have shown that certain groups of people have higher risks for depression, anxiety, and lower quality of life during the pandemic, as seen in women [ 9 , 12 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], younger people [ 9 , 12 , 15 ], people with financial strain [ 18 , 19 ], the unemployed [ 9 , 15 ], and those with previously existing mental health or physical health conditions [ 12 , 17 , 20 ]. On the other hand, several protective factors were also identified to be unequally distributed in the population, encompassing, among others, living with a partner [ 9 , 15 , 17 ].…”

Biopsychosocial response to the COVID-19 lockdown in people with major depressive disorder and multiple sclerosis

“…The closure of education centres and nursery schools led to an increase in children’s care and the volume of household chores. This situation may have contributed to more significant differences between women and men during the lockdown in different communities (18,65–69).…”