Sex differences in late-life depression

Objective:The primary aim of this study was to assess sex differences in depression in later life.Method: In a random, age and sex-stratified community sample of 3056 older Dutch people (55-85 years) the prevalence, symptom-reporting and risk factors associated with depression in later life were studied.Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D).Bivariate, multivariate and factor analyses were used.Results: Prevalence of depression in women was almost twice as high as in men.Controlling for age and competing risk factors reduced the relative risk for females with more than half.Symptom-patterns in men and women were very much alike.Sex differences in associations with risk factors were small, but exposure to these risk factors was considerably higher in females.Conclusion: Very little evidence for a typical 'female depression' was found.Female preponderance in depression was related to a greater exposure to risk factors.