title: Transforming mental health services to address gender disparities in depression risk factors.
abstract: Depression in older women is a significant and growing problem. Women who experience life stressors across the life span are at higher risk for developing depression than their male counterparts. Research has focused primarily on identifying and reducing the symptoms of depression for the general aging population, disregarding gender-specific differences in the foundational causes of depression. This article examines how women's unique experiences influence the development of depression and highlights how the current mental health system could better meet older women's needs by moving from a gender-neutral model to one that emphasizes women's experiences.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Work , Florida Atlantic University , Boca Raton , Florida , USA.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Whiteman
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Work , Florida Atlantic University , Boca Raton , Florida , USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ruggiano
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Work , Florida Atlantic University , Boca Raton , Florida , USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomlison
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services
keywords: Depression; older adults; women