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Psychology 320: Gender Psychology

Lecture 58

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Mental Health:

1. Are there sex differences in: (a) depression, (b) eating disorders, (c) personality disorders, and (d) suicide?

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5. Societal Factors

Media, parental, and peer pressure have been linked to eating disorders in both females and males.

Are there sex differences in eating disorders? (continued)

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Body Dysmorphia Among Females

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Muscle Dysmorphia Among Males

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Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo Dolls1978 (Left), 1998 (Right)

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Are there sex differences in personality disorders?

• The DSM-IV-TR adopts a multi-axial system. Personality disorders (PDs) are described as “Axis II disorders.”

• According DSM-IV-TR criteria, a PD is:

“A … pattern of inner experience and behaviour that deviates markedly from the expectations of the

individual’s culture.”

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The pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations.

The pattern manifests in at least 2 of the following areas: cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, and impulse control.

The pattern is stable and of long duration; its onset can be traced back to adolescence or early adulthood.

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• Sex differences have been observed in the prevalence of most of these personality disorders.

• Ten PDs are currently identified by the DSM-IV-TR: schizotypal, paranoid, schizoid, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial, obsessive-compulsive,

avoidant, and dependent.

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Are there sex differences in suicide?

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death of males and females between the ages of 15 and 24 in Canada, proceeded only by accidents (Statistics Canada, 2005).

• Suicide is more common among males than females across the life span:

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Age (Statistics Canada, 2005)

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• For both sexes, firearms are the most common method of suicide.

• However, males are more likely than females to use firearms to commit suicide. Females are more likely than males to use poisons to commit suicide.

• For any given method, suicide attempts are more likely to be fatal among males than females (Canetto & Lester, 1995).

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• Although people of European descent are more likely to commit suicide than other ethnic groups, the sex difference in suicide rates is similar across ethnic groups in Canada.

• The documented sex difference in suicide rates has been observed in other countries:

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Country Male:Female Suicide Ratio

Sweden 2.33

Japan 2.75

Denmark 2.81

Austria 2.91

Germany 2.91

France 2.92

Thailand 3.16

Italy 3.36

United Kingdom 3.48

Country Male:Female Suicide Ratio

Canada 3.60

Australia 3.79

United States 4.29

New Zealand 4.71

Ireland 5.22

Luxembourg 5.29

Mexico 5.40

Chile 7.29

Belize 13.44

Sex Differences in Suicide Across Diverse Countries (World Health Organization, 2005)

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• Although males commit suicide more frequently than females, females attempt suicide more often than males.

• Three explanations have been offered for this paradox:

2. The underreporting of suicide attempts among males.

3. The underreporting of suicide among females.

1. Gender roles.

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Mental Health:

1. Are there sex differences in: (a) depression, (b) eating disorders, (c) personality disorders, and (d) suicide?