Sex Differences in Unipolar Depression: Evidence and Theory (IN: Readings in Abnormal Psychology, ed. by J M Hooley, J M Neale, and G C Davison)

Five classes of explanations for why women are more likely than men to show unipolar depression are examined & the evidence for each class is reviewed. A new response set exaplnation for the sex differences in depression is then proposed, which suggests that men are more likely to engage in distracting behaviors that dampen their mood when depressed, but women are more likely to amplify their moods by ruminating about their depressed states & the possbile causes of these states. The implications of this theory are discussed. (224 refs)