title: Symptom endorsement in men versus women with a diagnosis of depression: A differential item functioning approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is some evidence that, in contrast to depressed women, depressed men tend to report alternative symptoms that are not listed as standard diagnostic criteria. This may possibly lead to an under- or misdiagnosis of depression in men.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to clarify whether depressed men and women report different symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used data from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing that was collected using the World Health Organization's Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Participants with a diagnosis of a depressive disorder with 12-month symptoms (n = 663) were identified and included in this study. Differential item functioning (DIF) was used to test whether depressed men and women endorse different features associated with their condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gender-related DIF was present for three symptoms associated with depression. Depressed women were more likely to report 'appetite/weight disturbance', whereas depressed men were more likely to report 'alcohol misuse' and 'substance misuse'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While the results may reflect a greater risk of co-occurring alcohol and substance misuse in men, inclusion of these features in assessments may improve the detection of depression in men, especially if standard depressive symptoms are under-reported.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia ac316@uowmail.edu.au.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cavanagh
authors.affiliation: Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Coralie J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Initiatives, School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caputi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation, School of Psychology & Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; differential item functioning; gender; symptoms