Gender-Based Differences in the Socio-Demographic Determinants of Depression: Evidence From Türkiye

Objective: This study aims to examine whether the sociodemographic determinants of depression risk differ between women and men, using Türkiye as a case study. Methods: The analysis uses the 2022 Türkiye Health Survey microdata set, covering 11,170 households, and adopts the binary logit model as the analytical method. Results: Sociodemographic variables were found to have significant effects on depression risk, and these effects were found to vary by gender. In particular, tobacco use, general health status, and marital status emerge as more determining factors for women compared to men. Conclusion: This study demonstrates, using a nationally representative dataset, that the effects of sociodemographic factors on depression risk differ by gender. According to the results, tobacco use, general health status, and marital status play a more critical role in determining depression risk in women compared to men. These findings suggest that one-size-fits-all policies that disregard gender differences may fall short, and underscore the importance of developing gender-sensitive psychosocial intervention programs.