Gender Differences in Depression and Diabetes
Author Information
Author(s): Meshkat Shakila, Tassone Vanessa K., Dunnett Sarah, Pang Hilary, Wu Michelle, Boparai Josheil K., Jung Hyejung, Lou Wendy, Bhat Venkat
Primary Institution: St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Hypothesis
Individuals with known prediabetes and diabetes would have statistically significantly higher odds of having depressive symptoms than non-diabetic individuals, with greater effects in females than in males.
Conclusion
Diabetes was associated with higher cognitive-affective symptom scores in females than in males.
Supporting Evidence
- 28% of individuals with diabetes also suffer from a depressive disorder.
- Females with diabetes had higher mean total depressive symptom scores than males with diabetes.
- Statistically significant diabetes-gender interactions were found in the cognitive-affective symptom cluster model.
- Individuals with diabetes had statistically significantly higher odds of having depressive symptoms compared to those without diabetes.
Takeaway
This study found that women with diabetes tend to feel sadder than men with diabetes, and diabetes makes women feel worse than it does men.
Methodology
Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, using logistic and linear regression to analyze relationships between depressive symptoms and diabetes.
Potential Biases
Self-reporting may introduce bias, and the cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
Limitations
The study relied on self-reported diabetes status and used a self-report scale for depressive symptoms, which may not capture all cases of major depressive disorder.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 29,619 participants, with a mean age of 47.64 years, and 51.32% were female.
Statistical Information
P-Value
P<0.001
Confidence Interval
CI: 0.10, 0.36
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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