Assessing age invariance of the Male Depression Risk Scale-22 in younger and older adult males

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder as men. Yet suicide rates are four times higher in men than women, increasing to six times when comparing older men to older women. Investigators have begun researching if depression presents differently in individuals who adhere to masculine norms, leading to the conceptualization of masculine depression. Despite validity evidence for the Male Depression Risk Scale-22 (MDRS-22) in mixed-age samples, few studies have investigated the possibility of age-related differences in masculine depression. The present study aimed to test for age invariance of the MDRS-22.

Age invariance for the MDRS-22 was tested via a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis with groups of younger (18-64 years) and older (65+ years) males (N = 469).

Age invariance for the MDRS-22 was not established, ΔX² = 451.47, Δdf = 16, p < 0.001.

Results of the study indicate that masculine depression may present differently between younger and older men. To fully understand the construct of masculine depression, it is important to investigate how symptoms may present in individuals of all ages. Overall, the study highlights the importance of investigating how masculine depression may present differently in older men.