Gender Differences in the Determinants of Distress, Alcohol Misuse, and Related Psychiatric Disorders

This study examines why women exhibit higher rates of psychological distress and affective and anxiety disorders whereas men report more problems with alcohol and alcohol-related disorders. Using two waves of panel data from 5,001 respondents to the National Co-morbidity Survey, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are utilized to compare the stress process of distress, alcohol misuse, and meeting the diagnostic criteria for affective, anxiety, and alcohol-related disorders according to access to resources and exposure to stressors. Theories of emotional socialization, self-salience, and gender roles are applied to interpret gender differences in the determinants of mental health outcomes. The results reveal that gender role theory fits best for models of psychological distress and affective and anxiety disorders, whereas emotional socialization and self-salience theories fit best for models of alcohol intake and alcohol-related disorders. The implications of these results and directions for future research on gender differences in mental health are discussed.