1. G ENDER AND A GE D IFFERENCES IN P SYCHOLOGICAL D ISTRESS Nicole Sagullo Psyc 221L, Fall 2012 Trinity College

2. P SYCHOLOGICAL D ISTRESS Distress: depressive, anxiety, and personality disorders Phillips, 2009 K6: short 6-question survey to identify psychological distress Choi & DiNitto, 2001 Kessler et al., 2002

3. P SYCHOLOGICAL D ISTRESS AND G ENDER Women > Men  Depressive symptoms Nolen-Hoeksema, 2010  Mood and anxiety disorders Eaton et al., 2012

4. P SYCHOLOGICAL D ISTRESS AND A GE Young adults > Older Adults  Psychological distress Brown et al., 2007  18-29 years > 30-49 years  Depression (MDD) Harkness et al., 2010

5. H YPOTHESES Main Effects  Women > Men  Young adults > Older Adults Interaction Effect  Greater difference between young and older women

6. M ETHOD  K6 scores: Psychological distress  K6: range 0-24  G= 4.65 (SD = 4.58).  Young adults v. Older Adults  Young: 18-25 years old  Older: 26-34 years old

7. R ESULTS Main effect for gender: significant  F (1, 33588) = 201.005, p<.001, R 2 =.006, MSw = 20.556  Men(M = 4.27, SD = 4.42) < women (M = 4.98, SD = 4.69)

8. R ESULTS Main effect for age: significant  F (1, 33588) = 418.882, p<.001, R 2 =.006, MSw = 20.556  18-25 year olds (M = 5.08, SD = 4.42) > 26-49 year olds (M = 4.65, SD = 4.57).

9. R ESULTS Interaction: significant  F (1, 33588) = 7.72, p<.01, R 2 =.00023, MSw = 20.556

10. C ONCLUSIONS  Women > Men SUPPORTED  Hormones/neurobiology?  Societal/social influences?  Young adults > Late Adults SUPPORTED  Inexperienced?  Greater age difference among women : SUPPORTED  Hormones/neurobiological changes?  Social influences on women’s perception?

11. I MPLICATIONS  Young (18-25 year old) women= more psychological distress  Men= less reported psychological distress

12. F UTURE R ESEARCH  Psychological Distress  Depression  Anxiety and Mood  Antisocial mannerisms  Substance Abuse  Age Range  Greater range  Different Scale

13. W ORKS C ITED Brown, J., Meadows, S. O., & Elder, G. r. (2007). Race-ethnic inequality and psychological distress: Depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood.Developmental Psychology, 43(6), 1295-1311. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1295 Choi, N. G. and DiNitto, M. D. (2011). Psychological Distress, Binge/Heavy Drinking, and Gender Differences among Older Adults. The American Journal on Addictions, 20: 420–428. doi: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2011.00149.x Harkness, K. L., Alavi, N., Monroe, S. M., Slavich, G. M., Gotlib, I. H., & Bagby, R. (2010). Gender differences in life events prior to onset of major depressive disorder: The moderating effect of age. Journal Of Abnormal Psychology, 119(4), 791-803. doi:10.1037/a0020629 Kessler, R.C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D.K., Normand, S.-L.T., Walters, E.E., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959–976. doi:10.1017/S0033291702006074 Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001). Gender Differences in Depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10:173. doi: 10.1111/1467-8721.00142 Phillips, M. R. (2009). Is distress a symptom of mental disorders, a marker of impairment, both or neither? World Psychiatry, 8(2), 91–92.