title: Differences in anxiety and depression between male and female caregivers of children with a disorder of sex development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether male and female caregivers of children with a disorder of sex development (DSD) differ in levels of anxious and depressive symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 80 caregivers (40 males, 40 females) of 40 children with a DSD. Children were categorized based on illness characteristics including ambiguous genitalia, life-threatening, and life-threatening with ambiguous genitalia. Caregivers completed measures of anxious and depressive symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant caregiver × diagnosis interaction for anxious symptoms emerged, with male caregivers of children with both ambiguous genitalia and a life-threatening condition reporting significantly lower levels of anxious symptoms than female caregivers of the same children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings are surprising because of the low level of anxious symptoms reported by male caregivers of children with a complex DSD. It is possible that they have disengaged themselves from the child and/or diagnosis, causing their female counterparts to take on more responsibility.
authors.forename: Cortney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolfe-Christensen
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fedele
authors.forename: Larry L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Mullins
authors.forename: Yegappan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lakshmanan
authors.forename: Amy B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology