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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Gender differences in ego defenses in adolescence: sex roles as one way to understand the differences.

Gender differences in ego defenses were hypothesized in adolescence, with greater internalization by girls and greater externalization by boys. Through the inclusion of sex role constructs (masculinity and feminity, agency and communion, and passivity-dependency), relational models as well as psychoanalytic theory were investigated as bases for sex differences. The Berm Sex Role Inventory and the Defense Mechanism Inventory were administered to 66 high school students (31 boys and 25 girls), ages 14-19. As expected, boys scored higher on projection and aggression-outward defenses and girls scored higher on turning against the self, but girls failed to exceed boys on reversal. Multiple regression supported sex roles as moderating variables in gender differences in defenses. Alternative reconceptualizations of sex roles supported aspects of both psychoanalytic and relational models as explanation of gender differences in defenses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Success strivings and their relationship to affective work behaviors: gender differences.

Gender differences in the importance of six life success dimensions and their relationships to job satisfaction, job involvement, and propensity to stay on the job were examined among 756 working women and men in southeast Florida. Results showed that the female participants rated family relationships, personal fulfillment, and security as more important success measures than their male counterparts did, and they rated status/wealth as less important. Professional fulfillment and security were not significantly different. The relationships between measures of success and work behaviors also varied significantly by gender, even after controlling for demographic and job position variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Early behavioral differences: gender or circumcision?

In human studies, the possible long-term effects on behavior of early physical insult or pharmacological agents have received little attention. We present both circumstantial and direct evidence that circumcision of male infants leads to behavioral changes. In some American studies using circumcised infants, reported gender differences may instead be the result of the altered behavior of circumcised males. We suggest that circumcision requires more study in its own right, and that it requires description if not control in all neonatal and infancy studies.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1991

Demoralization and gender differences in a kibbutz.

Gender differences in demoralization (depressive symptoms) were examined in a first-ever true prevalence study conducted in a kibbutz. The unusual organizational arrangements of this commune, where women have achieved higher levels of equality than in most other societies, offered a laboratory-like opportunity to test the psychosocial factors imputed as a partial explanation for the higher rates of demoralization in women. Demoralization was studied using the 27-item scale of the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview (PERI) in all of the adult population of a single kibbutz. The response rate was close to 95%. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the effects of key sociodemographic and kibbutz-related variables on gender differences. The results showed that women had higher mean scores and rates even after these variables were controlled. The female:male demoralization ratio was well within the range of results obtained in non-socialist Israeli urban settings. The paper concludes with a discussion on the tentative relevance of the study results for the interpretation of the 2:1 female-male ratio of depression found in the epidemiological literature.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Gender differences in cognition in schizophrenia.

Gender differences in cognition were investigated in schizophrenic inpatients and outpatients using the Dementia Rating Scale. Females displayed greater impairment on Attention and Conceptualization than males. Gender interacted with patient group for construction: females performed worse than males among inpatients and better among outpatients. Results may be related to the atypically early age of onset of females relative to males; attention to sampling and selection biases is needed in evaluating gender differences in cognition in schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Gender differences in teenage smoking.

This study analyzes the patterns and correlates of gender differences in cigarette smoking in a national sample of white high school seniors in 1985. More females than males were smokers, because females had higher rates for the early stages of smoking adoption. Specifically, females were more likely to have tried smoking at least once and, among those who had tried smoking, females were more likely to have smoked more than once or twice. Gender differences in smoking varied, depending on the students' characteristics. For example, the female excess in the early stages of smoking adoption was small or absent among rural students or very religious students, apparently because traditional values inhibit smoking adoption more among females than among males. We estimated the contributions of gender differences in students' characteristics to gender differences in smoking adoption. For example, males were more involved in sports, and this appears to be one reason why males had lower rates of smoking adoption than females. On the other hand, males had more deviant behavior and attitudes, and this would be expected to contribute to greater smoking adoption by males. The findings of this study indicate important gender differences in the determinants of smoking adoption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2026

How, When, and for Whom Does Daily Weight Bias Internalization Undermine Body Image Satisfaction? A Daily Diary Study of Perceived Weight, Exercise Duration, and Gender Differences Among Adolescents.

Although body image satisfaction is increasingly recognized as a dynamic experience that fluctuates across daily contexts, little is known about how weight bias internalization shapes these fluctuations or the cognitive mechanisms and contextual factors involved. The present study examined whether perceived weight mediates the association between weight bias internalization and body image satisfaction, whether exercise duration moderates this association, and whether these effects differ by gender. Daily diary data were collected over 10 consecutive days from 305 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 12.59 years, SD = 0.63 years; 49.2% girls). Multilevel analyses revealed that, at both within- and between-person levels, higher weight bias internalization was associated with lower body image satisfaction. Perceived weight significantly mediated the association between weight bias internalization and body image satisfaction at both levels. Additionally, exploratory analyses using dynamic structural equation modeling further indicated that perceived weight mediated the relationship between weight bias internalization and body image satisfaction at the between-person level, but not at the within-person level. Furthermore, exercise duration moderated the association between perceived weight and body image satisfaction among female adolescents but not among male adolescents. Specifically, the negative association between perceived weight and body image satisfaction was stronger on days when girls engaged in more exercise than usual and among girls with higher average exercise duration. In addition, exercise duration moderated the indirect association between weight bias internalization and body image satisfaction through perceived weight at both within- and between-person levels among girls. These findings highlight the dynamic cognitive processes linking weight bias internalization to body image satisfaction, and the importance of considering gender and daily exercise context in understanding adolescents' body image experiences.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Gender differences in knowledge, intentions, and behaviors concerning pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention among adolescents.

Gender differences in knowledge, intentions, and behaviors regarding preventing pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases were studied. Data for the study were collected from 1,033 students in 13 California high schools. Females in this sample were more likely than males to have discussed sexuality topics with parents, to have engaged in sexual intercourse more frequently, to have experienced a pregnancy scare, to have used oral contraceptives during their last sexual encounter, to perceive that a larger proportion of their peers were engaging in sex and using birth control, to obtain birth control from health facilities, and to report intentions to abstain or use protection in hypothetical situations placing them at risk for unprotected sex. In contrast, males reported that they were more likely to have always used birth control, to have used birth control during their first sexual encounter, and to have used a condom during their last sexual encounter. Furthermore, males were more likely to obtain birth control from a store or a friend. Finally, males knew more about using condoms correctly and their role in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. The efficacy of interventions designed to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents may be increased by addressing these gender differences. Understanding gender differences may also facilitate an increased role for males in the overall prevention scheme. Further research is clearly needed to increase knowledge about these gender differences.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in the effects of ethanol on C57BL/6 mice.

The influence of gender on the stimulatory and depressant effects of ethanol was examined in C57BL/6 (C57) mice. In Experiment 1, locomotor activity was assessed in young (2-month-old) male and female mice injected intraperitoneally (IP) with stimulatory (1.5 g/kg) or depressant (2.5 g/kg) doses of ethanol. Both the stimulatory and the depressive effects of ethanol were greater in young male than female C57 mice, and the gender difference was unrelated to blood ethanol concentration (BEC). In Experiment 2, older (9-month-old) male and female mice were given ethanol (2.5 g/kg) either by IP injection or gavage to determine if the gender differences in BEC and ethanol effects observed in the first experiment depended upon the route of ethanol administration. In this experiment, ethanol reduced locomotor activity more in males than females whether given by gavage or IP injection, and the males had higher BECs than females at the time of testing. Thus, the differences in the behavioral effects of ethanol appeared to be related to BEC. The greater depressive effect of ethanol on older male mice in this experiment is consistent with an earlier report of prolonged ethanol-hypnosis in older male C57 mice. Therefore, differences in BEC could account for the gender differences in the behavioral effects of ethanol on older but not young mice. The gender difference in BEC of mice obtained in the present and earlier reports is opposite to that reported for humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Gender differences in symptoms of depression among adolescents.

In this paper, we examine sources of gender differences in depressive symptoms among adolescents. Using data collected from a self-administered survey of 306 high school students, we examine differences in the impact of life events, psychosocial resources, and parent-child relationships on levels of psychological distress. Our results confirm a substantial gender difference in level of psychological distress. Moreover, analyses indicate that this gender difference may be due largely to higher levels of self-esteem among males and a tendency for adolescents to perceive their fathers to be overprotective. There is, however, also evidence that other psychosocial resources and parent-child relationships are implicated in this gender difference. We also present analyses to support our contention that parent-child relationships have important effects on the development of psychosocial resources of adolescents that, in turn, influence levels of depressive symptoms.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Gender differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of psychotropics: focus on women.

The animal literature provides many instances of gender differences in drug metabolism and/or response. However, there are inherent dangers in trying to generalize findings of either pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic gender differences to humans. The literature was searched for references to gender and pharmacokinetics of psychoactive drugs. Interest was primarily in whether sufficient data were available on humans to implicate a gender effect, given the large animal literature. There was a dearth of investigations to look for pertinent differences and many studies that examined gender differences appeared to do so incidentally. Some differences were identified that seemed hormonally influenced and age-related. The most compelling gender differences stem from data on research probes utilized to better understand psychiatric disease processes. The implications for women as psychoactive drug consumers are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Social density, stressors, and depression: gender differences among the black elderly.

This research examined gender differences with regard to the effects of social density and stressors upon depressive symptomatology among 600 Black elderly community residents (aged 55-85 years) of Nashville, Tennessee. The sample had more females than males and fewer married individuals. Approximately half of the males and females lived alone. Regression analyses show that poor ego and chronic medical problems were the common predictors of depression among both the males and females. Gender differences were found with regard to life events in that females tended to become more depressed as the number of events increased and as level of contact with relatives and friends decreased. Further, females with lower levels of social attachment, guidance, and reliability were more depressed. None of these social support dimensions related to depression among the males. These relationships tended to be stronger for those living alone than for those living with others.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1991

Gender differences in depression: historical changes.

Depression has been widely reported to be more prevalent among females than among males. In this study we demonstrate that gender differences in depression occur only among individuals born during particular historical periods, and test the utility of a model focusing on changes in women's opportunities for academic and professional achievement in predicting periods of significant gender differences in depression. Based on reanalysis of data reported by Klerman et al., we find gender differences in depression among people 40 years of age and older to be high among cohorts that reach adolescence during periods of increasing opportunities for female achievement. Among cohorts that reach adolescence during periods of stable or decreasing opportunities for women, gender differences in depression are not significant at any age.

Achievement↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in cardiac rehabilitation patients.

Gender differences in anxiety, self-efficacy, activity tolerance, and adherence were assessed in 101 patients (80 males, 21 females) with coronary artery disease consecutively admitted to three phase II cardiac rehabilitation centers. The percentage of women in rehabilitation is 20% lower than anticipated based on coronary morbidity data. On admission to rehabilitation, men were significantly better able to tolerate physical activity, were less anxious, and perceived themselves as having greater efficacy in enduring exercise and activities of daily living than women. During the first month of rehabilitation, 24% of males and 33% of females missed 1 week or more of scheduled sessions. There were no significant differences in demographic or diagnostic characteristics between sexes.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Gender differences in caregiving: fact or artifact?

This study applies meta-analysis techniques to the results of 14 descriptive studies of gender differences in caregiving to determine the size and significance of gender differences in caregiving stressors (level of elder impairment and level and type of task involvement) and in caregiver burden. There were essentially no significant gender differences in functional impairment of the frail care recipient, total caregiver involvement in care, or in money management tasks. Female caregivers were more likely to carry out personal care and household tasks and more likely to report greater burden. Given the relatively small size of the effects found, we conclude that future research should focus on the part that gender-role explanations play in assigning meaning to caregiving behaviors.

Caregivers↗
PubMed1992

Gender differences in mate selection preferences: a test of the parental investment model.

Evolutionary-related hypotheses about gender differences in mate selection preferences were derived from Triver's parental investment model, which contends that women are more likely than men to seek a mate who possesses nonphysical characteristics that maximize the survival or reproductive prospects of their offspring, and were examined in a meta-analysis of mate selection research (questionnaire studies, analyses of personal advertisements). As predicted, women accorded more weight than men to socioeconomic status, ambitiousness, character, and intelligence, and the largest gender differences were observed for cues to resource acquisition (status, ambitiousness). Also as predicted, gender differences were not found in preferences for characteristics unrelated to progeny survival (sense of humor, "personality"). Where valid comparisons could be made, the findings were generally invariant across generations, cultures, and research paradigms.

Female↗
PubMed1992

Transnational stability of gender differences in schizophrenia? An analysis based on the WHO study on determinants of outcome of severe mental disorders.

Gender-specific analyses of the multinational WHO-Determinants of Outcome-Study (including 1,292 cases from 10 countries) demonstrate the transnational stability of major findings on gender differences in schizophrenia: Male patients have an earlier mean age at onset in all countries. In female patients, the distribution of the age at onset shows a second peak after age 40 years. No gender differences on nuclear symptoms of schizophrenia can be detected, but on uncharacteristic symptoms, particularly some aspects of the illness behaviour, differences appear. This investigation supports the transcultural validity of gender differences found in the German ABC-Schizophrenia-Study and in the Danish-German Psychiatric Case Register studies.

Adult↗