Gender differences in psychosocial risk factors for psychological distress among immigrants

The reasons for a greater prevalence of psychological distress among women than men remain unknown. We sought to test two hypotheses that gender operates either as (1) a moderator or (2) a mediator between psychosocial risk factors and experienced distress. A cross-sectional community survey of 1,062 adult Russian-born Jewish immigrants to Israel was conducted. The Demographic Psychosocial Inventory (DPSI) and the Talbieh Brief Distress Inventory (TBDI) were used to measure the parameters of interest. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to test the moderation versus mediational hypotheses of gender in the stress-distress relationship. The aggregate levels of psychological distress and depression, anxiety, and obsessive symptoms were significantly higher for women than for men. Five sources of distress were more likely to be reported by women: family problems, inappropriate climatic conditions, anxiety about the future, poor health status, and uncertainty in the present life situation. Men scored higher on three stress-protective factors: the number of reasons for immigration, commitment to the host country, and job adequacy. Results of multiple regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) supported the mediation hypothesis that gender differences in psychological distress stem from women's greater exposure to specific psychosocial stressors. Our findings demonstrate the validity of gender as an important mediating mechanism underlying the differential perception of risk factors for the development of psychological distress.