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American Journal of Psychiatry article describes social support and
risk for major depression in opposite-sex twins.
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RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 1, 2005) ? Virginia Commonwealth
University researchers have found that women who feel more
loved and supported by their friends, relatives and children
are less at risk for major depression than men, suggesting
important gender differences in the pathways leading to
depression.
In the February issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the
VCU researchers report that among approximately 1,000 adult,
opposite-sex, fraternal twin pairs, the female twins reported
significantly higher levels of global social support than their twin
brothers. The women were more sensitive than the men to the
depressongenic effects of low levels of social support, particularly
from the co-twin, other relatives, parents and spouses.
"In women, social support was a robust predictor of risk for
depression," said Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., a professor of
psychiatry and human genetics in VCU's School of Medicine and lead
author on the study. "Women who saw themselves as more loved and
cared for and objectively well integrated in positive social groups
were well protected against later episodes of major depression.
"However, among the men we found virtually no effect," he said.
"In this large sample, we could find no relationship in men between
their levels of social support and their risk for depression.
"These findings suggest that men may be more 'immune' or less
sensitive to aspects of their social environment with respect to
their risk for depression," Kendler said.
Researchers interviewed opposite-sex fraternal twin pairs
registered with VCU's Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry. The first
interview was conducted between 1993 and 1996, and the second
interview was conducted between 1994 and 1998. At the time of the
second interview, subjects were between the ages of 21 and 58 years
old.
According to Kendler, studying opposite-sex fraternal twin pairs
was ideal because the population included women and men who were
conceived at the same time, developed in the same uterus and raised
in the same family. Factors that may otherwise differ across women
and men were ruled out because this population was examined, Kendler
said.
Researchers examined the relationship between baseline levels of
social support -- assessed for six key social relationships -- and
the general level of social integration. The risk for future
episodes of major depression was also assessed.
Kendler, who is also director of the Virginia Institute for
Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, said these results are
consistent with previous literature suggesting that on average,
inter-personal relationships are more central to and more valued by
women than by men. Women are also more likely to seek emotional
support in their social network than are men.
"While the impact of low social support on risk for major
depression appears to be less pronounced in men than in women, males
may be more sensitive to the adverse health effects of social
isolation than are females," he added.
The VCU Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry is under the direction of Judy
Silberg, Ph.D., associate professor of human genetics and psychiatry
at VCU.
###
The research was supported by a grant from the National
Institutes of Health.
The Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics is
a multi-disciplined, integrated research program of VCU's
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics focused on identifying
genes and environments that cause psychiatric diseases and
behavioral differences.
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