Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms among Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites

Abstract

Mean levels of depressive symptoms are often higher among women then men in non-Hispanic white survey samples, although many studies suggest that these differences are unstable. The present study assessed gender differences in depressive symptoms (measured using the CES-D scale) in a community survey of Mexican Americans born in Mexico (n= 706), Mexican Americans born in the United States (n=538), and non-Hispanic whites born in the United States (n = 1149). Only among U.S. -born Mexican Americans was there a gender difference in depression score. Low rates of labor force participation and low levels of marital support among U.S.-born Mexican American women accounted for this gender difference. It is possible that cultural conflict associated with differences between traditional Hispanic gender-role differentiation and contemporary American gender role change explains this pattern of results.