GENDER DIFFERENCES IN DEPRESSION - THE ROLE PLAYED BY PATERNAL ATTITUDES OF MALE SUPERIORITY AND MATERNAL MODELING OF GENDER-RELATED LIMITATIONS

A reanalysis of a large multi-generational, predominantly Caucasian sa mple of adults found a large gender difference in self-reported depres sion involving anxiety, appetite and sleep disturbance, and fatigue (' 'anxious somatic depression'') but not in ''pure depression'' unaccomp anied by many of these other symptoms, replicating earlier findings on high school and college samples. Anxious somatic depression was preva lent among women whose fathers reported attitudes of male superiority and among women whose mothers reported emphasizing the importance of p rofessional success bur feeling that the jobs they held were nor respe cted by others. Anxious somatic depression, bur not pure depression, w as found to be prevalent among women who did not attend college and am ong those who attended college but felt that the jobs they held were n or respected by others.