Teen girls worry more than boys

By the time they reach 18, girls show twice the depression rate of boys, possibly because they worry more, according to a survey conducted psychologists Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, PhD, of the University of Michigan and Joan S. Girgus, PhD, of Princeton University, and presented during APA?s Annual Convention.

It is now well documented that before the age of 11, girls and boys have equal rates of depressive symptoms and depressive disorders. But between ages 11 and 15, girls? depression rates rise steeply while those for boys increase only slightly. Research has also established that rumination-passive, repetitive focus on negative emotions-is more common in adult women than men (when distressed) and appears to contribute to gender differences in adult depression. And, according to Nolen-Hoeksema and Girgus, this ruminative coping style can be seen in girls more than boys as early as age 11.

This theory was demonstrated by the results of their survey of 615 sixth-, eighth- and 10-graders in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the results, girls worried more than boys on such issues appearance, friends, personal problems, romantic relationships, problems with family, what kind of person they are, being liked by other children and being safe. The only issue that boys reported being more concerned about than girls was "sports and other activities."

?D. Fizel