How do men and women differ in their depressive symptomatology? A gendered network analysis of depressive symptoms in a French population-based cohort

Abstract

Background: The experience of depressive manifestations and the presentation of symptoms in clinical settings may differ in men and women. Despite the extensive literature, it remains unclear how depressive manifestations interact at symptom levels in men and women. First, we aimed to describe and compare depressive networks by sex. Second, we examined symptom connections to Clinical depression and Functional Limitations as a proxy of self-recognition of a depressive episode.

Methods: We estimated networks from the 20 CES-D items in men and women from a large population-based French cohort. We computed centrality measures and ran comparisons. Then, we re-estimated two networks in men and women separately, adding, on the one hand, Clinical Depression and, on the other hand, Limitations due to a depressive episode.

Results: Over 200,000 participants were included in this study. Women were twice as likely to have a previous diagnosis of depression. Sex-ratio was less pronounced (1,7:1) for Limitations due to depression. Centrality measures revealed similar symptom patterns. However, network structures differed between men and women. We found some symptom connections to Clinical depression and Limitations to be non-invariant according to sex.

Limitations: Cross-sectional data does not capture the direction of the connections between symptoms and an eventual diagnosis. We lacked data about the diagnosis's context and could not account for other factors influencing depressive symptomatology.

Conclusions: Network structures differed, suggesting gender-specific mechanisms in activating symptoms and depressive states. Addressing central symptoms evoking depressed moods with tailored interventions may serve to tackle depressive states in men and women.

Keywords: Depressive symptomatology; Gender differences; Network analysis.