The Gender Difference in Depression: Are Elderly Women at Greater Risk for Depression Than Elderly Men?

Abstract

Numerous epidemiological reports have found that adolescent, young adult, and middle-aged adult girls and women are more likely to be diagnosed with unipolar depression and report greater symptoms of depression when compared to boys and men of similar ages. What is less well-known is whether this gender difference persists into late life. This literature review examines whether the well-known gender difference in unipolar depression continues into old age, and, if it does, whether the variables that are known to contribute to the gender difference in unipolar depression from adolescence through adulthood continue to contribute to the gender difference in the elderly, and/or whether there are new variables that arise in old age and contribute to the gender difference in the elderly. In this review of 85 empirical studies from every continent except for Antarctica, we find substantial support for the gender difference in depression in individuals who are 60 and older. More research is necessary to determine which factors are the strongest predictors of the gender difference in depression in late life, and particularly whether the factors that seem to be responsible for the gender difference in depression in earlier life stages continue to predict the gender difference in the elderly, and/or whether new factors come into play in late life. Longitudinal research, meta-analyses, and model-based investigations of predictors of the gender difference in depression are needed to provide insights into how and why the gender difference in depression persists in older age.

Validity and reliability of a shorter version of the Geriatric Depression Scale in institutionalized older Portuguese adults

“…Regarding the individual differences, females scored higher in the GDS-8. These results are corroborated by Girgus, Yang, and Ferri (2017), which propose that older women could be more exposed to risk factors associated with depression. Another explanation could involve the way women cope with difficulties, presenting more rumination than men because they tend to focus on negative emotions, rather than engaging in problem-solving strategies (Trives, Bravo, Postigo, Segura, & Watkins, 2016).…”

Chronic Diseases, Depressive Symptoms and Socio-economic Characteristics Among Older Adults in Morocco: A pilot Study on Gender Differences

“…This burden is often combined with poor self-rated health and low socio-economic status which can negatively affect successful aging in Morocco. Similarly, empirical studies have shown older women are considerably more likely to develop severe depression than men counterparts (26)(27)(28)(29). As a result, the women psychological traumatism are possibly related to complex interactions including, poor socio-economic status, low education level, reduced daily activity, poor health state, neurobiological changes and stressful life events (13,15).…”

Long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms in old age: Relationships with sociodemographic and health-related factors

“…Additionally, old men may show many difficulties to adjust themselves to live alone due to widowhood and feelings of loneliness may emerge. For that reason, they tended to look for a new partner more frequently than women (see Girgus et al, 2017). Our results in loneliness changes across waves may go in this line: the proportion of men who were widowed in wave 3 (3.95%) was slightly higher in comparison to wave 4 (3.64%); conversely, the proportion of men with a civil partner rose from wave 3 (0.82%) to wave 4 (1.29%).…”