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PubMed1993

Gender differences in escape-avoidance behavior of mice after haloperidol administration.

Gender differences in the disruptive effects of haloperidol on some reinforced behaviors have been observed in different species. However, the inhibitory action of haloperidol on the acquisition and performance of escape-avoidance behavior has only been investigated in male subjects. The present experiment was designed to investigate possible gender differences in the effects of haloperidol on the initial phase of an escape-avoidance learning task. Male and female mice of the OF1 strain were given a single training session in a shuttle-box. Thirty minutes prior to the behavioral test, mice were injected IP with haloperidol (0.25 mg/kg) or physiological saline (10 ml/kg). Latencies of escape and avoidance responses and the number of nonresponses, escapes, avoidances, pseudoavoidances, crossings during the adaptation period, and crossings during intertrial intervals (ITIs) were evaluated. The disruptive action of haloperidol on the escape-avoidance behavior of the mice was greater in males than in females. The number of nonresponses were higher and the number of escapes lower in treated males than in their female counterparts. These gender differences were not found in control subjects. Activity measures of spontaneous motor behavior (crossings in the adaptation period and during ITIs) did not present gender differences either. Several possible mechanisms responsible for this greater susceptibility of males to the inhibitory effects of haloperidol on escape-avoidance learning are discussed, especially the modulating role of female hormones on dopaminergic activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Gender differences in the association between psychosocial factors and depressive symptoms in Japanese junior high school students.

To determine psychosocial factors associated both with depressive symptoms and with gender differences in depressive symptoms among junior high school students, we conducted self-administered questionnaires using a sample of 2,660 students of 13 public junior high schools in Okinawa, Japan. Depressive symptomatology was measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The psychosocial variables examined were life stresses, social support, health practices, self-esteem, and locus of control. Depressive symptoms were positively associated with life stresses and negatively associated with health practices, social support, self-esteem, and internal locus of control. In addition, female students were likely to report more depressive symptoms, life stresses, and low self-esteem and poor health practices. After controlling for the psychosocial variables differed by gender, gender differences in depressive symptoms were eliminated. In conclusion, for depressive symptoms of junior high school students, life stresses might be risk factors, but positive health practices, social support, high self-esteem, and internal locus of control might be protective factors. Gender differences in depressive symptoms could be explained by the females' elevation on these psychosocial variables.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Gender differences in anxiety-related traits in patients with panic disorder.

This study examined gender differences in anxiety-related personality traits in patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD+/-AG). Outpatients (101 total) with SCID confirmed PD+/-AG completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), the Trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R), and the Retrospective Self-Report of Inhibition (RSRI) as part of their assessment. Significant gender differences were not detected for the total ASI scores. Females scored significantly higher than males on the Physical Concerns subscale of the ASI, whereas males scored significantly higher than women on the Social Concerns subscale. Women scored higher than men on the Extraversion scale of the NEO PI-R as well as on certain subscales of this domain. Although a significant gender difference was not detected on the Neuroticism subscale, men scored higher on the angry hostility and depression facets of this trait. Significant gender differences were not found for the STAI-T or the RSRI. These findings suggest that gender differences exist among patients with PD+/-AG in the feared consequences of anxiety symptoms as well as in the personality characteristics of extraversion.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Goals as a mediator of gender differences in high-affiliation dyadic conversations.

The present study examined whether gender differences in affiliative aspects (collaboration and cooperation) of dyadic conversations occur because girls are more oriented than boys toward goals focused on others. Preadolescents (11-13 years old; 51 boys, 53 girls) worked with a same- or an other-gender peer on a 4-week-long creative-writing task at school. Dyadic conversations and goals were assessed twice. High-affiliation conversations and mutual-participation goals were more prevalent in female than in male and mixed-gender dyads. Mutual-participation goals mediated gender differences in high-affiliation conversations. Control and task-performance goals did not differ by dyad gender. In mixed-gender dyads, conversation strategies and goals did not differ by gender. Implications of goals for understanding gender differences and similarities in conversations are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Social anxiety spectrum: gender differences in Italian high school students.

Gender differences in the social anxiety spectrum and their correlation with other psychopathological features were analyzed in 520 students by using two questionnaires: the Social Anxiety Spectrum Self-Report (SHY-SR), which explores social anxiety spectrum, and the General Spectrum Measure (GSM), which explores panic-agoraphobia, mood, obsessive-compulsive, and eating-behavior features. Mean SHY-SR total score was significantly higher in women than in men, and gender differences were particularly pronounced for interpersonal sensitivity domain. Likewise, GSM scores were higher in women, except for the manic section. The SHY-SR domains correlated significantly with all GSM sections, except for the manic section. In conclusion, women reported more symptoms than men (who belonged to different psychopathologic dimensions) and displayed a profile of social anxiety spectrum that differs quantitatively but not qualitatively from the men's profile. The correlation between social anxiety spectrum and other psychopathological features mirrors previous findings concerning the high comorbidity of axis-I social anxiety disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Gender differences in psychosocial determinants of adolescent smoking.

Because of the social meaning smoking has acquired and because of different trends in male and female initiation rates, it is reasonable to suspect that different psychosocial factors predict smoking in teen-age boys and girls. A literature review revealed external pressures such as peer and parental smoking are important for both boys and girls though their influence may be moderated differentially by age and type of smoking behavior assessed. Some data support the hypothesis that female smoking is associated with self-confidence, social experience, and rebellion, whereas male smoking is associated with social insecurity. Overall, group differences such as gender and socioeconomic status are well-documented in terms of smoking prevalence but underexplored in the area of psychosocial predictors. In this review, gender differences have been documented with sufficient frequency to warrant further attention to develop gender specific components of smoking prevention programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Women's advantage at remembering others' appearance: A systematic look at the why and when of a gender difference.

Women recall the appearance of others better than men. The goal of the present research was to shed light on the explanations and boundary conditions of this gender difference. In three studies (592 participants), the authors tested potential mediators and moderators of the gender difference. Results corroborated the robustness of the gender difference. General task motivation, general memory ability, importance of appearance, appearance knowledge, attention paid to target, gazing at target, and communal or agentic orientation could not explain why women were better at recalling others' appearance than men were. Except for importance of appearance and appearance knowledge, which both decreased the magnitude of the gender difference, general task motivation, attention paid to target, length of exposure to target, delay in responding, cognitive load, and response format (verbal vs. nonverbal) had no effect on the gender difference. Results are discussed in relation to gender differences found in the nonverbal sensitivity literature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Gender differences in substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to explore gender differences in demographic variables, psychiatric comorbidity, and personality disorders in individuals with substance use disorders. METHOD: A total of 100 treatment-seeking substance users (50 men and 50 women) admitted to a university-based and a university-affiliated private chemical dependency hospital were compared with regard to demographic variables and comorbid psychiatric and personality diagnosis according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R after 14-21 days in treatment. RESULTS: Men were significantly more likely to have a higher household income and to be alcohol dependent. Women were significantly more likely to have another axis I disorder in addition to substance use disorder, particularly anxiety disorders, but these gender differences were not substantially different from the gender prevalence of these disorders in the general population. Men had more affective disorders relative to women than would be expected from the general population data. Female alcoholics had substantially more psychopathology than male alcoholics, and generally these differences were consistent with the ratios of these disorders in the general population. For cocaine users, female/male ratios of anxiety and affective disorders were inconsistent with general population ratios and indicated more psychopathology than would be expected in male cocaine users. There were no gender differences in axis II diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the gender differences in psychopathology in substance users are at odds with gender differences for psychopathology in the general population. Further exploration of these differences could have important theoretical and treatment implications.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Gender differences in cardiology].

Frequent reports of gender differences in cardiology prompted us to study the cardiological situation in Tyrol, Austria, from 1995 to 2000. Mortality statistics for heart deaths 1995: women 1008 (53.5%), men 875 (46.5%); 2000: women 1104 (58.2%), men 792 (41.8%). Coronary heart deaths 1995: women 572 (50.0%), men 571 (50.0%); 2000: women 634 (54.4%), men 531 (45.6%). Angiograms 1995: women 332 (33.9%), men 646 (66.1%); 2000: women 688 (32.5%), men 1429 (67.5%). Bypass surgery 1995: women 54 (33.0%), men 156 (67.0%); 2000: women 42 (27.5%), men 157 (72.5%). Heart deaths 1995-2000: women +9.5%, men -9.5%; coronary heart deaths 1995-2000: women +10.8%, men -7.0%. By (welcome) contrast, coronary angiograms 1995-2000: women +107.2%, men +121.2%. Bypass operations 1995-2000: women -22.2%, men +0.6%. Life expectancy 1995-2000: women +0.6%, men +0.6%. Patient age at heart death 1995-2000: women +1.8%, men +2.5%. In aggregate, we see that for decades more women than men have died a heart death, but that cardiac mortalities remain a typically "male bastion" with persistent gender differences in access to clinical cardiology. The worsening trend for women begs for awareness programs and corresponding preventive measures.

Angiography↗
PubMed2006

Gender differences in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA and CD4 cell counts among new entrants to HIV care.

Clinic database extraction identified 806 new entrants to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care in Cleveland, OH, USA. At entry, women had higher CD4 counts and lower HIV RNA levels than men (mean, 388 vs. 310 cells/microL, and 8.94 x 10(4) vs. 1.27 x 10(5) copies/mL, respectively), but the proportion of entrants with category C illnesses, category B conditions, sexually transmitted diseases and CD4 counts < 200 microL did not differ between genders. Hepatitis B seroprevalence was higher in men (8.7% vs. 0.6%), but there was no difference in hepatitis C prevalence. Whether women in Cleveland seek HIV care earlier, or whether early markers of HIV disease differ between the genders, remains to be determined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

EEG evidence of gender differences in a motor related CNV study.

In the present study gender differences related to the contingent negative variation (CNV) were investigated. A series of two acoustic stimuli was presented to participants across a wide age range. The first stimulus was consistent throughout the experiment whereas the second one was either a high frequency or a low frequency tone. One of them had to be answered by a button press (go condition) the other did not require any response (nogo condition). Between the first and the second tone there was a time period of two seconds in which the CNV appeared as a slow negative potential shift. Within this episode data were analysed with respect to gender differences. Statistical analysis revealed topographical differences between men and women in go conditions for both left and right index finger movements. Differences were found over frontal regions where women showed higher brain activity than men and over temporo-parietal regions where men produced higher brain activity than women. In order to explain the fact that only in "go" conditions significant gender differences occurred we introduce the phenomenon of implicit learning. Due to implicit learning assumed predictions related to S2 might have occurred from time to time. This is so, because a 50% chance for one of two different stimuli to occur leads to reasonable assumed predictions after two or more stimuli of a kind occurring in a series. The present data now provide evidence that if such assumed prediction or expectancy is directed towards an upcoming demand to act then brain activity is subject to gender differences. Further studies providing controlled sequences of "go" conditions versus "nogo" conditions have to be done to prove this idea true.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1997

Gender differences in depressive symptoms in adolescence: comparison of national samples of clinically referred and nonreferred youths.

Gender differences in depressed mood, a syndrome of mixed anxiety-depression, and an analogue of major depressive disorder were compared in parents' and adolescents' reports in 2 large, demographically matched national samples of clinically referred and nonreferred adolescents. Referral status accounted for the greatest share of the variance in these problems. Gender differences were moderate in size and consistent in referred youths, with referred girls scoring higher than referred boys on all measures, whereas gender differences in nonreferred adolescents were either nonsignificant or small in magnitude. Gender differences were also larger in magnitude in adolescents' self-reports than in parents' reports. The interaction of age and gender was nonsignificant in all analyses. Implications for understanding the extent of gender differences in adolescents' depressive symptoms are highlighted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Gender differences in problem severity at assessment and treatment retention.

Women in treatment for substance abuse have been reported to have more severe problems at assessment than men but not to differ in treatment retention. To examine gender differences in problems at assessment, 30-day retention, and treatment completion, data from Detroit's publicly funded substance abuse treatment system were used. Women had significantly more severe problems at assessment, lower 30-day retention, and lower treatment completion rates than men. These gender differences in retention remained significant even after controlling for problem severity, primary drug of abuse, and referred treatment setting. There was no evidence of improvements in women's problems at assessment or retention over time during this period. Women presented with more severe problems at assessment and were less likely to stay in treatment for 30 days or to complete treatment than men. Monitoring gender differences in problems at presentation and retention outcomes is recommended to assess local need for interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Gender differences among physician-scientists in self-assessed abilities to perform clinical research.

PURPOSE: To examine gender differences in physicians' self-assessed abilities to apply knowledge and skills in six core competencies for success as a clinical investigator. METHOD: A written questionnaire containing 35 learning objectives was administered to physicians involved in a clinical-research training program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Between 2000 and 2002, 57 postgraduate trainees (49% women) completed the questionnaire; 40 of the 57 completed the questionnaire a second time after a four-day intensive workshop in clinical research. The main outcome measure was gender differences in ratings for each question answered. RESULTS: Before the workshop, women physicians rated their abilities lower than men rated their own abilities on 22 of 35 learning objectives and women were significantly lower in rating their ability to spend sufficient time developing and advancing their own area of scientific knowledge and research. After the workshop, women rated themselves lower than men rated themselves on 33 of 35 objectives, with significant differences in seven. Women did not rate themselves significantly higher than men rated themselves on any of the 35 objectives assessed. CONCLUSION: Women physicians consistently rated their abilities to perform or apply knowledge and skills related to clinical research lower than men rated themselves, and a traditional training venue exacerbated these gender differences. This previously unexplored gender difference in self-perceived competency may indicate an additional barrier women face in academic career development and suggests that educational programs incorporate learning activities that address gender differences when training physicians for careers in clinical research.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2000

Gender differences in depression and antidepressant pharmacokinetics and adverse events.

OBJECTIVE: To review data generated by studies examining gender differences in the prevalence of depression, as well as in antidepressant pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and adverse events. DATA SOURCES: Published articles and abstracts were identified through MEDLINE (January 1966-April 1999) using the following search terms: antidepressant, response, gender, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, female, side effect, and adverse events. All articles that assessed gender differences in antidepressant response, pharmacokinetics, and adverse events, as well as articles that evaluated postulated mechanisms for these differences, were reviewed. Additional articles were identified from bibliographies of retrieved articles. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All relevant abstracts, studies, and review articles were evaluated. DATA SYNTHESIS: Gender differences in the prevalence of depression have been reported and may result from the interaction of several factors. Women have been shown to have a higher incidence of depression, which may be due to artifact, social, or biologic reasons. Studies suggest that the pharmacokinetic disposition of popular antidepressants varies between men and women, and women taking antidepressants may exhibit a different adverse event profile. Only one study specifically evaluated gender differences in antidepressant treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: Further research elucidating gender differences in response to antidepressant treatment and on depression prevalence is needed. Some studies report that the pharmacokinetics of antidepressants may vary between men and women. Therefore, clinicians should be aware that potential differences in antidepressant pharmacokinetics may exist, and a dosage adjustment may be necessary for women to ensure a favorable drug response, compliance, and decreased incidence of adverse events.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1995

Gender differences in nutritional status and feeding patterns among infants in the Gaza Strip.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined gender variation in nutritional treatment and anthropometric status of infants in the Gaza Strip. Numerous studies have documented gender differences in health status in developing areas, generally finding boys to be at an advantage over girls. Social and economic characteristics in Gaza suggest that one might expect preferential treatment of boys there. METHODS: The study used data on two samples of infants 0 to 18 months of age collected from five health centers in Gaza. A variety of different analytic methods were used to look for gender differences in feeding patterns, prevalence of malnutrition, and anthropometric status. RESULTS: Although some differences in nutritional treatment and anthropometric outcome for infants of different socioeconomic status and between the earlier and later samples were found, no consistent gender differences were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are consistent with several different explanations. First, expectations of finding gender differences may have been unfounded. Alternatively, such differences may have existed previously but have been eliminated through successful public health intervention, rising levels of education, and economic development.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1999

Gender differences in minor morbidity among full time employees of a British university.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine gender differences in minor morbidity among men and women working in similar circumstances, and to test whether the relation between reported working conditions and health is similar for men and women. DESIGN: Multivariate analysis of data collected from a postal questionnaire distributed to full time employees in white collar jobs within a single organisation. SETTING: A British university. PARTICIPANTS: 1641 employees (1009 men and 632 women) working full time in white collar occupations in the university. MAIN RESULTS: Overall, female university employees reported more "physical" symptoms (2.0 v 1.7, p < 0.001) and more "malaise" symptoms (1.4 v 1.1, p < 0.001) than male employees, but mean scores on a measure of minor psychiatric morbidity did not differ by gender. Poor perceived working conditions (and particularly lack of job stimulation, job drain and poor physical conditions) were consistently related to all three measures of minor morbidity, and these variables accounted for most of the variance in these health measures in this sample. When the analysis controlled for occupational grade, perceived working conditions and orientation to gender roles, there was no difference between men and women for any of the health measures. The relations for the predictor variables were generally the same for men and women (and there were no interactions with gender for any of the work related variables). CONCLUSIONS: Although small gender differences in recent experience of malaise and physical symptoms remain when examining men and women in as similar working circumstances as possible, these differences are cumulatively eroded by taking account of occupational grade, reported working conditions and orientation to gender. These results lend support to a differential exposure, rather than a differential vulnerability, model of gender differences in health.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Gender differences in attitudes toward animal research.

Although gender differences in attitudes toward animal research have been reported in the literature for some time, exploration into the nature of these differences has received less attention. This article examines gender differences in responses to a survey of attitudes toward the use of animals in research. The survey was completed by college students and consisted of items intended to tap different issues related to the animal research debate. Results indicated that women were more likely than men to support tenets of the animal protection movement. Likewise, women were more likely than men to favor increased restrictions on animal use and were more concerned than men about the suffering of research animals. Analysis of item contents suggested that women endorsed items reflecting a general caring for animals, were more willing than men to make personal sacrifices such as giving up meat and medical benefits in an effort to protect animals, and were more likely than men to question the use of animals in research on scientific grounds. Men, on the other hand, tended to emphasize the potential benefits arising from the use of animals in research.

Animal Experimentation↗