An Examination of the Cognitive, Personality, and Social Components Associated with Gender Differences in Rates of Depression

Abstract

The current study examined risk factors for the development of depression during childhood and adolescence in boys and girls, including personality, social, and cognitive variables. One hundred and fifty-seven male and 206 female students in grades 5 through 9 completed self-report questionnaires about sex role identification, rumination, co-rumination, and depression and two time points, four months apart. Results suggest being female-identified predicted increases in level of depression. Our findings also indicate that both co-rumination and depression drove changes in tendency to ruminate over time. Contrary to previous literature, we did not find that rumination or co-rumination predicted changes in depression. We discuss these findings in the context of the emergent gender difference in rates of depression during adolescence.