Gender differences in the endorsement of symptoms for depression and anxiety: Are gender-biased items responsible?

Liana S. Leach*, Helen Christensen, Andrew J. MacKinnon

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    21 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Gender-biased items are one explanation for the gender difference in reports of depression and anxiety symptoms. This hypothesis was explored using responses from the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scales. Responses were drawn from 2 waves of a community-based survey with participants in 3 age cohorts: 20 to 25, 40 to 44, and 60 to 64 at wave 1. The results showed that a 2-factor model fitted the scales well. Multiple group analyses showed that that for all 3 age groups and both time points the fit indices changed minimally between a model that constrained parameters to be equal across gender and a model that permitted variation. These findings indicate that gender differences in the endorsement of items from the Goldberg scales are not because of gender-biased items. This study points to alternate biopsychosocial explanations and highlights the importance of choosing appropriate methods of analysis when assessing item bias.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)128-135
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Nervous and Mental Disease
    Volume196
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Feb 2008

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Gender differences in the endorsement of symptoms for depression and anxiety: Are gender-biased items responsible?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this