Explaining Pattern of Women’s Mental Health

This essay talks about higher prevalence of anxiety and depression among women and will elaborate on relevant theory to explain the same. Gender differences can be attributed to a combination of factors, such as, brain chemistry, hormonal fluctuations, and social factors.

Running head: EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Assignment - 6HL001 Explaining Patterns of Women’s & Men’s Health - 2017-18
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1EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Mental illness or disorder refers to psychiatric problems or behavioural mental patterns
that are responsible for bringing about significant impairment or distress of personal functioning.
Such problems are relapsing or persistent and are found to occur in the form or single or several
episodes (Clement et al. 2015). Most mental health problems usually affect men and women
equally. However, some of the mental disorders have been found to occur more among women.
There are a range of social factors that put women at an increased risk of suffering from poor
mental health status than men (Chambers et al. 2014). This essay will talk about higher
prevalence of anxiety and depression among women and will elaborate on relevant theory to
explain the same.
Anxiety and depression are associated with significant burden of mortality and morbidity
(Izard 2013). Gender is considered as an essential determinant of mental illness. Substantial
attention has been given to morbidity that is associated with several mental disorders, when
compared to than gender-specific mechanisms and determinants responsible for promoting and
protecting mental health. Gender is responsible for determining differential power and controls
gender over the major socioeconomic determinants that influence the mental health (Maguen et
al. 2012). Gender differences also create an impact on social position, lives, treatment and status
in the society and increase the exposure and susceptibility to specific mental health diseases.
Gender differences are particularly found to affect prevalence of anxiety, depression, and
somatic complaints (Eaton et al. 2012). These disorders are predominantly found among women
and affect 1 in 3 people, globally (Whiteford et al. 2013).
Anxiety disorders are defined by restlessness, extreme fear, and muscle tension and are
disabling or debilitating. This in turn increases the risk of depression and suicidal ideations
(Lader 2015). Anxiety disorder is ranked 6th in terms of its contribution to global disability

2EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
(3.4%). The global population had a proportion of 3.6% suffering from anxiety disorders in
2015. Further reports also suggested that as many as 7.7% females suffered from this disorder
(when compared to 3.6% males) (World Health Organization 2017). Anxiety has been viewed as
one of the basic manifestations of maladaptive metacognitions that encompass several
vulnerabilities of psychological disorders. Some of the most common factors that contribute to
prevalence of anxiety disorder in women include work-related stress, sexist attitudes from family
and friends, and overload of domestic responsibility (Würtzen et al. 2013).
According to surveys, an estimated 45% people experience mental health problems in
their lifetime (Beyondblue.org.au 2018). The National Survey of Mental Health suggested that
anxiety disorder was found to affect 1 in 7 people, living in Australia, which accounted for
14.4% of the population (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018). Research findings
further illustrate that men with reduced serotonin levels are more impulsive, but are least likely
to experience changes in their responses to induced chemical changes (Albert, Vahid-Ansari and
Luckhart 2014). On the other hand, women show an increased susceptibility to experience mood-
lowering effects in them. Thus, low serotonin levels are likely to result in an increased and more
sensitive response to stress.
Depression refers to the state of persistent low mood and aversion to all kinds of
activities that eventually affects the behaviour, thoughts and sense of wellbeing of an individual
(Hammen et al. 2012). Further evidences suggest that depression is prevalent in around 1 million
adults in Australia. According to reports published by the National Survey of Mental Health and
Wellbeing 2007, depression was found to affect around 6.2% of the Australian population, aged
between 16-85 years (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2018). Further statistics states

3EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
that it affects approximately 350 million individuals globally, with women being twice more
likely to get diagnosed with depression than men (Martin, Neighbors and Griffith 2013).
Freud postulated the fact that women were more likely to neurosis due to experiences of
aggression towards themselves, as a direct manifestation of developmental issues. Eagly’s social
role theory can be cited as the probable explanation for such differences that arise in mental
behaviour (Olson, Zanna and Herman 2013). It is a social role theory that pertains to similarities
and differences in sex related social behaviour. The key principles of the theory states that the
differences arise primarily due to disparities in distribution of social roles of men and women in
the society. Social roles consider women more likely to work as homemakers and as primary
caretakers of the family and children in the paid economy (Eckes and Trautner 2012). On the
other hand, men are considered more suitable for performing tasks that involve assertiveness,
physical strength and leadership skills. Thus, the theory pertains to the sex differences in the
social behaviour that makes women more prone to suffer from mental problems. Differences in
the distribution of their social roles in the society through assumption of the gender roles make
women have poorer experiences while performing their pre-determined roles, subsequently
resulting in a stress, and creating more conflicts among their roles. Gender roles and societal
patriarchy are thus believed to have adverse effects on the psychological perceptions of men and
women. Thus, the theory states that all roles are linked to societal functioning and social status or
positions (Koenig and Eagly 2014).
The major factors that contribute to an increased prevalence of depression among women
include fluctuations in hormonal levels during puberty or menopause, ruminative nature of
women, sociocultural factors such as, stress and discrimination. Increased life expectancy among
women are also linked with loneliness, bereavement, and poor mental health that directly results

4EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
in development of depressive symptoms. Women are likely to experience discrimination and
harassment at the workplace that becomes difficult to combat due to concerns regarding threats
or embarrassment. Such discrimination is stressful and subtle and makes it easy for the
perpetrators to deny the harm done (Kimbrough et al. 2013). Women are also entitled with the
primary responsibility of conducting domestic tasks, and are often put under pressure to
accomplish certain goals. This makes it difficult for women to maintain positive relations with
family and results in manifestation of generalized anxiety disorder. Thus, the theory helps in
correlating gender with prevalence of the aforementioned mental disorders in women.
To conclude, it can be stated that gender differences can be attributed to a combination of
factors, such as, brain chemistry, hormonal fluctuations, and social factors. Impact of certain
factors such as, control on working outside the domestic sphere will lead to women experience a
range of mental illnesses. Hence, development of internalized symptoms by women, which in
turn directs problematic feeling towards self accounts for the higher prevalence of mental illness
among women.

5EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
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6EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
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7EXPLAINING PATTERN OF WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
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