• How might a theorist in the biopsychosocial tradition account for gender differences in depression? Women are about twice as likely as men to suffer from clinical depression: about 12% for men versus about 21% for women

(Conway et al., 2006; Hyde, Mezulis, & Abramson, 2008). A greater prevalence of depression among women was found in each of 15 countries from various parts of the world in a crossnational study by the World Health Organization (Seedat et al., 2009). The question is, why?

We need to take a number of factors into account (Eagly et al., 2012). Hormonal fluctuations may contribute to depression in some cases, as might gender differences in neurotransmitter functioning (Gray et al., 2015). As research on these fronts continues, we also need to account for the disproportionate stress burden women in our society tend to carry, as well as each individual’s own way of coping with emotional distress. Women are more likely than men to experience stressful life factors such as physical and sexual abuse, poverty, single parenthood, and sexism, all of which may increase vulnerability to depression.

Depressed women, especially those in young adulthood, tend to report more negative life events than depressed men—events such as the loss of loved one or changes in life circumstances (Harkness et al., 2010). On the other hand, a World Health Organization cross-national study showed that a narrowing of gender differences in major depression may be occurring, perhaps because of a loosening of traditional female gender roles in many cultures