Social Roles, Sex Roles and Psychological Distress: Additive and Interactive Models of Sex Differences

TLDR

Abstract

Determinants of sex differences in psychological distress are explored through estimating additive and interactive regression models, The absence of employment or marriage is associated with depression for both men and women. Also, for this measure of distress, an additive model of social-role effects accounts for the observed sex difference, suggesting a structural interpretation of the genderldepression relationship. For the measure of psychophysiologic complaints, the pattern of influences differs. Here, gender and being a parent jointly influence level of symptomatology. Further analysis reveals this effect to be due primarily to sex differences among parents having young children. The pattern offindings for this variable is understood to support formulations pertaining to the stress of family roles for women.