Table 6.
Comparison of Key Findings of Diagnosis Meta-analysis and Symptom Meta-analysis
| Major Depression | Depression Symptoms | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall effect size for gender differences | OR = 1.95 | d = 0.27 |
| Age trends | Significant quadratic trend. OR peaked at ages 13–15, declined into the 20s, and stayed stable after that. |
Significant quadratic trend. No gender difference at ages 8–11. d peaked at age 16, declined into the 30s, and stayed stable after that. |
| Nation-level economic indicators | ||
| High-income v. low- to middle-income |
Larger OR in wealthier nations | n.s. (significant with outliers excluded, smaller OR in wealthier nations) |
| Income inequality | n.s. | Smaller d in nations with greater income inequality (n.s. with outliers excluded) |
| Nation-level gender-equity indicators | ||
| Contraceptive prevalence | Larger OR with greater contraception | n.s. |
| Executive positions | n.s. (significant with outliers excluded, larger OR with more executive positions) | n.s. |
| Literacy ratio | Larger OR with greater female: male literacy |
n.s. |
| Ethnicity, U.S. | n.s. | n.s. |
Note. n.s. = not significant.