An Assessment of Gender Differences in Somatic Symptoms and Functional Impairment Due to Depression in an Adolescent Population

According to the World Health Organization, depression is now the leading cause of disability in the world. With an estimated one-year prevalence rate of 12.8% in the United States among adolescents, the burden of the disorder creates both short-term and long- term consequences for individuals. The key to prevention and management of depression resides in the proper identification of the disorder. This cross-sectional analysis using the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health examined three aims: gender differences in somatic symptoms of depression in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17; association between gender and functional impairment based on impairment domains from the Sheehan Disability Scale; association between somatic symptoms and impairment. The findings suggest females are almost twice as likely to report symptoms of appetite and fatigue than males. In examining the relationship between gender and functional impairment, females were more likely to report severe and very severe levels of functional impairment across social life and relationship domains whereas males were more likely to report impairments in the chore management domain. Finally, the study found significant association between psychomotor disturbance and fatigue across three of the functional impairment domains on the Sheehan Disability Scale with appetite and weight problems also showing correlation with several domains