SynthesisPsychological bulletin2017
Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms.
Synthesis in Psychological bulletin, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1,189 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1,189 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 2,492 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bipolar Disorder and Perimenopause: An Update.Bipolar disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence of neuropsychiatric and seizure disorders in neurofibromatosis type 1: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Sex-specific associations of depression with inflammatory markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- TNF-α levels in first-episode, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder: a case-control study and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of virtual reality eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy for adolescents with major depressive disorder: a functional Near-Infrared spectroscopy study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Nurse‑led horticultural activities as an early intervention for mild‑to‑moderate depressive symptoms among youth in Hong Kong: an exploratory randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2026Trial
- Gender differences in the influence of app-based mindfulness meditation on emotion regulation: a randomised controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Sex differences in treatment outcomes among U.S. service members with comorbid PTSD and MDD.BMC psychology · 2026Trial
- Consummatory deficits in close social reward predict inflammation-induced depressed mood.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Trial
- Does Quality of Life and Symptom Severity Correlate with Celiac Disease Serology in Adolescents?Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Article
- Are there differences in depression across biological sex and developmental phases? Examining the structure and measurement invariance of depressive symptoms in males and females from childhood through adolescence.Journal of psychopathology and clinical science · 2026Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms in two birth cohorts born 20 years apart.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Psychotropic medication trajectories around parental bereavement and their association with suicide mortality among adolescents and young adults, a Swedish nationwide cohort study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Higher adherence to a Nordic diet is associated with reduced risk of mild depressive symptoms: a population-based analysis.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Voluntary Physical Activity Modulates Brain ΔFOSB and Alters Coactivation Networks in Male and Female Mice.eNeuro · 2026Article
- Stressful life events and depression onset: A longitudinal investigation of depression course subtypes.Journal of psychopathology and clinical science · 2026Article
- Global burden of depressive disorders from 1990 to 2021: temporal trends, COVID-19 Impact, and projections to 2050.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Did Nationwide Mental Health Insurance Reform in Israel Increase Access to Community-Based Care? : A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.Administration and policy in mental health · 2026Article
- Guilt Proneness and Shame Proneness Differentially Relate to Sex Disparity in Depression Among Adolescents in China: A Longitudinal Serial Mediation Analysis.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2026Article
- Heritability of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Depressive Symptoms in Community-Based Middle-Aged and Older Adults from Four International Twin Cohorts.Behavior genetics · 2026Article
1,129 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
In 2 meta-analyses on gender differences in depression in nationally representative samples, we advance previous work by including studies of depression diagnoses and symptoms to (a) estimate the magnitude of the gender difference in depression across a wide array of nations and ages; (b) use a developmental perspective to elucidate patterns of gender differences across the life span; and (c) incorporate additional theory-driven moderators (e.g., gender equity). For major depression diagnoses and depression symptoms, respectively, we meta-analyzed data from 65 and 95 articles and their corresponding national data sets, representing data from 1,716,195 and 1,922,064 people in over 90 different nations. Overall, odds ratio (OR) = 1.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.88, 2.03], and d = 0.27 [0.26, 0.29]. Age was the strongest predictor of effect size. The gender difference for diagnoses emerged earlier than previously thought, with OR = 2.37 at age 12. For both meta-analyses, the gender difference peaked in adolescence (OR = 3.02 for ages 13-15, and d = 0.47 for age 16) but then declined and remained stable in adulthood. Cross-national analyses indicated that larger gender differences were found in nations with greater gender equity, for major depression, but not depression symptoms. The gender difference in depression represents a health disparity, especially in adolescence, yet the magnitude of the difference indicates that depression in men should not be overlooked. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.