Gender and the association between mental disorders and disability

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Limited population data exist on gender differences in mental disorder-related disability.
• Previous assumptions of higher disability in women with mental disorders may be unfounded.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if gender moderates the association between common mental disorders and self-reported disability.
• To examine disability across five functional domains in a general population sample.

Main Methods:

• A nationally representative household survey of 7435 New Zealand adults (aged 16+).
• Mental disorders assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0).
• Health-related disability measured using the World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS-II).

Main Results:

• Men with aggregated mood or anxiety disorders reported significantly higher role, social, and cognitive disability compared to women.
• No significant gender differences were found in associations between mental disorders and mobility or self-care disability.
• Substance use disorders showed no gender differences in association with any disability domain.

Conclusions:

• Men with mood and anxiety disorders experience disproportionately greater role, social, and cognitive disability than women.
• Further research is needed on engaging and retaining men in mental disorder treatment.
• The bidirectional relationship between mental disorders and disability requires further investigation, acknowledging self-report limitations.