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The British Journal of Psychiatry 173: 489-493 (1998)
© 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Social roles and gender difference in the prevalence of common mental disorders

S Weich, A Sloggett and G Lewis
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London. scott@rfhsm.ac.uk

BACKGROUND: It is not known why the most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, are more prevalent among women then men. The aim was to test the hypothesis that this gender difference could be explained by differences between men and women in social role occupancy, after adjusting for age and socio-economic status. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of 8979 adults aged 16-74 years living in private households in England, Wales and Scotland was carried out. Prevalence of common mental disorders was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: The gender difference in the prevalence of the common mental disorders (unlike social role occupancy) did not vary with age to a statistically significant degree (unadjusted odds ratio 1.35, 95% CI 1.23-1.48) (P < 0.0001). Although those of either gender occupying the fewest, and women occupying the most social roles (after adjusting for age) had the highest prevalence of common mental disorders, neither number of social roles, occupancy of traditional 'female' caring and domestic roles, nor socio-economic status explained the gender difference in these conditions (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.14-1.41) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The gender difference in the prevalence of the common mental disorders is not explained by differences between men and women in the number or type of social roles occupied.


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