The thin ideal, depression and eating disorders in women.
It is proposed that a cultural ideal of thinness for women causes depression at a higher rate among women than among men. This model accounts for five currently unintegrated trends in the epidemiology of depression. It explains why: (1) twice as many women as men are likely to be depressed; (2) this sex difference emerges at puberty; (3) this sex difference is only found in western countries; (4) there is more depression today; (5) the average age of onset for depression is younger now than in the past. Four parallel trends in eating disorders can also be accounted for by the same factor.
Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania 19140.
M
M
McCarthy
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D012649:Self Concept; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*