DEPRESSION AND GENDER ISSUES: AN ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63330/aurumpub.060-014Keywords:
Depression, Gender, Gender-based violence, Mental health, Social vulnerabilityAbstract
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide, significantly impacting individuals’ quality of life and functional capacity. Scientific evidence indicates that its occurrence is associated with multiple factors, particularly gender inequalities and social and emotional vulnerabilities. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between depression and gender, considering associated vulnerabilities throughout the life course. This is an integrative literature review conducted in the SpringerLink, ERIC, Latindex, and Miguilim databases, including articles published between 2017 and 2026 in Portuguese and English. The search strategy used descriptors related to depression, gender, and mental health, selecting studies that directly addressed the proposed theme. The final sample consisted of 13 studies, analyzed using a qualitative approach. The results showed a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms among women, associated with factors such as social inequality, adverse working conditions, lower social support, and the accumulation of disadvantages over time. It was also observed that depression trajectories are persistent and influenced by structural and emotional determinants. It is concluded that gender-related depression is a multifactorial phenomenon, requiring comprehensive and sensitive approaches to social inequalities for its understanding and management.
Downloads
References
BEST, J. R. et al. Age and sex trends in depressive symptoms across middle and older adulthood: comparison of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to American and European cohorts. Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 295, p. 1169–1176, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.109. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032721009149?via%3Dihub. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
BRACKE, P. et al. Depression in women and men, cumulative disadvantage and gender inequality in 29 European countries. Social Science & Medicine, v. 267, p. 113354, dez. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113354. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620305736. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
BEST et al. Age and sex trends in depressive symptoms across middle and older adulthood: comparison of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to American and European cohorts. Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 295, p. 1169–1176, 2021. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032721009149. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.109. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
BREIJ, S. et al. Sex and gender differences in depressive symptoms in older workers: the role of working conditions. BMC Public Health, v. 22, art. 1023, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13416-1. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-022-13416-1. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
FERRI, C.; YANG, K.; GIRGUS, J. S. Predicting the gender difference in depressive symptoms in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, v. 27, n. 7, p. 1411–1418, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2084712. Disponível em: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13607863.2022.2084712. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
GUI, Z. et al. Gender differences in depression prevalence, influencing factors, life satisfaction, and network structure among middle-aged and older adults in China: a national survey. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, v. 72, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640251370792. Disponível em: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207640251370792. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
GUO S; CHU CB; ZHENG XY. Changes in gender disparities of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in China: an age-period-cohort analysis. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2025; 60: 1039–1052. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-024-02747-6. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-024-02747-6. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
HARGROVE TW; HALPERN CT; HARRIS KM. Race/Ethnicity, gender, and trajectories of depressive symptoms across early- and mid-life among the Add Health cohort. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2020; 7: 619–629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00692-8. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40615-019-00692-8. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
LEE J, JANG S-N, CHO S-I. Gender differences in the trajectories and the risk factors of depressive symptoms in later life. International Psychogeriatrics, 2017; 29(9): 1495-1505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217000709. Disponível em: https://www.intpsychogeriatrics.org/article/S1041-6102(24)01735-6/fulltext. Acesso em: 02 jun.
PFEIFFER S; ALT P; WALPER S. Trajectories of depressive symptoms and associated risk factors from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 2025; 7(4): e15801. Disponível em: https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/15801. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
SALK RH; HYDE JS; ABRAMSON LY. Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms. Psychological Bulletin, 2017; 143(8): 783–822. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000102. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000102. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
ZHANG Y; ZHAO M. Gender disparities and depressive symptoms over the life course and across cohorts in China. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2021; 295: 620–627. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.134. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032721009393. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
ZHENG H; JIA C. Gender differences in the association of depression trajectories with executive and memory functions: evidence from the longitudinal study of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004–2017). Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.007. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395622001297. Acesso em: 02 jun. 2026.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
