Society's stresses: Cause for depression in women

January 12, 2000
Web posted at: 4:46 PM EST (2146 GMT)

In this story: Women under more chronic strain The women also demonstrated less of what researchers called "self-mastery" than men, meaning they felt less able to exert control over their lives and achieve their goals. The danger of "rumination" Finding solutions RELATEDS

By Lynda Liu

(WebMD) -- About 19 million Americans are expected to suffer from depression this year and experts say women will be twice as likely as men to become depressed. The reasons behind the gender difference are not yet clear, but a new study from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor suggests that social factors may help account for the inequity.

The study, published in the November 1999 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, reports that women may be at higher risk for depression because of their roles in society.

"It's not about being a woman per se but about activities that women may be more likely to engage in," says Carla Grayson, Ph.D., one of the study's authors and a research fellow at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, which is affiliated with the University.

Women under more chronic strain

Researchers interviewed about 1,130 adults, ages 25 to 75, once at the beginning of the study and again one year later. They found that women were more likely to experience chronic strain (the result of stresses that do not go away), feel as if they didn't have control over their lives and focus unproductively on the negative aspects of their situations. Individually, each of the above factors was associated with higher rates of depressive symptoms such as hopelessness, sadness and dissatisfaction.

The researchers speculate that women experienced more chronic strain than men because of their increased responsibility for housework and child care. In addition, women also carried more of the burden when it came to caring for elderly relatives. Furthermore, women were less likely to feel appreciated by their partners than were men.

The women also demonstrated less of what researchers called "self-mastery" than men, meaning they felt less able to exert control over their lives and achieve their goals. The danger of "rumination"

Both higher levels of chronic strain and lower levels of self-mastery lead to rumination, which the researchers defined as the tendency to focus on feelings and their negative consequences without taking action to change the situation.

"The tricky thing about rumination is that it feels like it's helpful, but there's no action taken, and you don't move forward to some sort of solution," says Grayson. People who ruminate tend to do so all the time, even when a significant event hasn't occurred and no clear-cut problem needs to be solved.

Finding solutions

The research findings show that "we've made the connection between real-world problems that women face, such as the strain of managing work and family, and their higher rates of depression," explains Grayson.

Dorothea Z. Lack, Ph.D., an assistant clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, was not involved in the study but agrees with this conclusion. "Although one study is never enough to make a statement about something as complicated as depression, these results appear to be extremely valid."

Lack speculates that the differences found in the study between men and women may be even greater than the numbers show, since some women who were asked to participate declined -- ironically, because the chronic strain of their daily demands prevented them from doing so.

With these findings in mind, how can women improve their situations?

"One way is to address these social issues," Grayson says. "If women weren't under chronic strain, they wouldn't be as likely to be depressed." While social change often takes decades to implement, women can begin to make very basic changes that will impact their daily lives.

Lack recommends that women ask their families to become more involved in helping out with household chores. A supportive partner certainly helps, too, adds Grayson, as does outside help, such as a maid or child care.

If you think you might be a ruminator, try talking to a friend. "The key is that your friend needs to help you sort out your thoughts and help you problem-solve and move to the next stage," Grayson says. "Simply ruminating with a friend is not going to help."

If you have been feeling down for about a month or are experiencing symptoms such as insomnia or the need for much more sleep and a loss or increase in appetite, you might be suffering from depression and should seek the help of a professional, suggests Grayson.

Although almost two-thirds of those with depression will not seek professional help, over 80 percent of people can find improvement in their condition with treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

RELATEDS AT :

Depression
Who Becomes Depressed?

---

RELATED SITE:

National Institute of Mental Health: Depression

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

---

LATEST HEALTH STORIES:

China SARS numbers pass 5,000
Report: Form of HIV in humans by 1940
Fewer infections for back-sleeping babies
Pneumonia vaccine may help heart, too