Why more Women than Men take Psychoactive Drugs.

It is hypothesized that women are more vulnerable to depressive symptoms than men because they are more likely to experience chronic negative circumstances (or strain), to have a low sense of mastery, and to engage in rumanitive coping. The hypotheses were tested in a 2-wave study of approximately 1,100 community-based adults who were 25 to 75 years old (Grayson 1999).

All participants were interviewed in person, usually at the participants home, by an extensively trained interviewer, once at the beginning of the study and then a second time approximately 1 year later. Each interview lasted about 90 minutes. The participants completed the 13-item form of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for a self-report measure of current depressive symptoms. The BDI is one of the most widely used self-report instruments for detecting depressive symptoms (Grayson 1999). The interviewers completed the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) regarding the participants immediately after the interview. This scale provides an index of participants' current levels of depression.

This study suggests that the robustness of the gender difference in depression may be due to the relationships among chronic strain, rumination, mastery, and depression, which keep some women caught in a cycle of passivity and despair. The results of this study were that women reported more chronic strain, a greater tendency to ruminate, and a lower sense of mastery than men (Grayson 1999). Thus, according to this particular study, more women are prone to depression and antidepressants because they express more chronic strain, more rumination when distressed and finally, a lower sense of mastery over their lives.