‘Slow’ reproductive strategy: A negative predictor of depressive symptomatology

‘Slow’ reproductive strategy: A negative predictor of depressive symptomatology
Cezar Giosan; 2013


Abstract

The present study examined the associations between a high-K (slow) life history strategy and depressive symptomatology. The participants were a sample of 494 male utility workers who underwent psychological evaluations. It was hypothesised that high-K will correlate negatively with, and will be a negative predictor of, depressive symptomatology. The results confirmed the predictions, showing that high-K accounts for 15% of the variance in depressive symptomatology after controlling for risk factors for depression such as demographics, prior traumatic experiences, past depression, and recent negative life events. Implications of the results are discussed.

Sex Differences in Depression

>Girls and women are more prone to depression and anxiety than men (Brody & Hall, 1993). But depression can be more finely differentiated. One form, called interpersonal depression, appears more often in people who are preoccupied with personal relationships and fear abandonment by others. This of course bears a close correspondence with communion (with its emphasis on connectedness to others) and as we could expect, there are  significant sex differences in this form of depression. For excample, among third- to 12th-grade students, girls more often endorse interpersonal symptoms of depression including lonliness, not liking themselves, and wanting more friends (Leadbetter, Blatt, & Quinlan, 1995). (Self-critical depression on the other hand is seen more commonly in people who are preoccupied with issues of self-worth and are practicularly concerned about failing to meet personal goals or appearing incompetent. Predictably, men show greater depressive vulnerability in this area than women.) People who are vulnerable to interpersonal depression also place an intense value on emotional closeness and are preoccupied by fears of being abandoned or neglected in relationships. Because relationships are highly valued, their loss is a severe blow. Girls report more stress than boys in connection with close relationships (Gore, Aseltine, & Colten, 1993) and display stronger associations between stressful relationship events and behavioral problems (Cohen, Gottlieb, Kershner, & Wehrspann, 1985).<


A mind of her own, Anne Campbell, 2013

Gender differences in rumination: A meta-analysis

Gender differences in rumination: A meta-analysis
Daniel P Johnson, Mark a Whisman; 2013
Personality and Individual Differences, Article in Press


Abstract

Starting in adolescence and continuing through adulthood, women are twice as likely as men to experience depression. According to the response styles theory (RST), gender differences in depression result, in part, from women’s tendency to ruminate more than men. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate gender differences in rumination in adults (k = 59; N = 14,321); additionally, an analysis of subtypes of rumination – brooding and reflection – was conducted (k = 23). Fixed effects analyses indicated that women scored higher than men in rumination (d = .24, p < .01, SEd = .02), brooding (d = .19, p < .01, SEd = .03) and reflection (d = .17, p < .01, SEd = .03); there was no evidence of heterogeneity or publication bias across studies for these effect sizes. Although statistically significant, the effect sizes for gender differences in rumination were small in magnitude. Results are discussed with respect to the RST and gender differences in depression.

‘Slow’ reproductive strategy: A negative predictor of depressive symptomatology

‘Slow’ reproductive strategy: A negative predictor of depressive symptomatology
Cezar Giosan; 2013
Australian Journal of Psychology


Abstract

The present study examined the associations between a high-K (slow) life history strategy and depressive symptomatology. The participants were a sample of 494 male utility workers who underwent psychological evaluations. It was hypothesised that high-K will correlate negatively with, and will be a negative predictor of, depressive symptomatology. The results confirmed the predictions, showing that high-K accounts for 15% of the variance in depressive symptomatology after controlling for risk factors for depression such as demographics, prior traumatic experiences, past depression, and recent negative life events. Implications of the results are discussed.

Depression & Kin Support Networks:

"Strassman and Dunbar suggest that the prevalence of depression as one of the world's major health problems may be a consequence of the breakdown of kin support networks and the attendant loss of psychological and material security."

Dunbar & Strassman, Human evolution and disease: putting the stone age in perspective, 1999;