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Related Experiment Videos

Does self-competence predict gender differences in adolescent depression and anxiety?

C McCauley Ohannessian1, R M Lerner, J V Lerner

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Medical School, Farmington 06030-2103, USA.

Journal of Adolescence
|August 27, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Self-competence helps explain why adolescent boys experience less depression and anxiety than girls. Higher self-competence in boys, particularly in 7th grade, mitigated gender differences in mental health outcomes.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Adolescent Mental Health

Background:

  • Gender disparities in depression and anxiety emerge during adolescence.
  • Self-competence, or the belief in one's ability to succeed, is a key developmental factor.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if self-competence predicts gender differences in depression and anxiety.
  • To examine the role of self-competence in the emergence of these differences during early adolescence.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 75 young adolescents.
  • Data collected across 6th and 7th grade.
  • Measured self-competence, depression, and anxiety levels.

Main Results:

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  • Boys consistently reported higher self-competence than girls.
  • Boys showed significantly lower depression and anxiety in 7th grade, but not 6th.
  • Accounting for self-competence reduced the gender gap in anxiety and eliminated it for depression.

    • Conclusions:

    • Self-competence partially explains why adolescent boys exhibit lower rates of depression and anxiety compared to girls.
    • Interventions aimed at boosting self-competence may help reduce gender disparities in adolescent mental health.