title: The roles of sex, gender, and coping in adolescent depression.
abstract: This study investigated the roles of coping and masculinity in higher rates of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls, as compared to boys. A model was designed and tested through path analysis, which involved the variables of sex, gender, problem-focused coping, rumination, and distraction. The Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale and the Bem Sex Role Inventory, as well as a measure of coping with general stressors was completed by 246 adolescents. Results showed that adolescent girls were more depressed than boys, and that girls used more emotion-focused and ruminative coping than did boys. Greater degrees of ruminative coping were related to high levels of depressive symptoms. Problem-focused and distractive coping were positively correlated with masculinity and negatively associated with depression. Surprisingly, girls were more likely to use problem-focused coping. Problem-focused and distractive coping were found to mediate the negative relationship between masculinity and depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St. John's University Jamaica, New York 11439, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy Ellen
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: DiGiuseppe
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Froh
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011340:Problem Solving; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology; D013850:Thinking