GENDER AND DEPRESSION IN ANGLO-JEWRY

This study found similar prevalence of case depression among men as am ong women in a sample of 339 Jews affiliated to orthodox synagogues (1 57 men and 182 women). There were significant gender differences in se veral social-situational factors and symptoms, mostly in the direction that would suggest that case depression would be higher among women t han among men. That this was not so is suggested to be the result of t he cultural milieu : social factors that have been found to be associa ted with depression in other groups of people did not function as risk or vulnerability factors among the Jews studied. In particular, the e vidence indicates the importance of specific cultural-religious values in contributing towards the prevalences that were observed. These val ues included the esteem attached to women's central role in family man agement and the low use of alcohol and suicide as escape routes from d epression.