Daily Interpersonal Experiences and Distress: Are Women More Vulnerable?

Abstract

Women consistently report experiencing greater psychological distress than men, which may be a function of their greater reactivity to negative experiences, especially those of an interpersonal nature. Despite considerable research attention, few studies have employed the appropriate methodological designs to test adequately whether women, compared to men, exhibit greater negative mood states at times when they experience negative events. In the current study, we used a daily process methodology to examine how the within-person associations between negative interpersonal exchanges and mood varied as a function of sex. One hundred community residents (45 men, 55 women) recorded their negative interpersonal exchanges and mood every day for 30 days. Participants' mood was probed three times each day via palm-top computer; interpersonal exchanges were recorded daily in a structured diary. Men and women were reactive to negative interpersonal interactions, but at different times of day. Evidence suggested that women are more likely than men to continue experiencing a negative mood from one time point to the next, consistent with the hypothesis that women are more prone to ruminate on negative events.