Self-report of depressive symptomatology and daily hassles: Effects of instructional set, gender, and gender role orientation.

Previous research has demonstrated that experimental cues, whether overt or subtle, intended or unintended, affect experimental behavior. More specifically, investigators from various research areas have shown that cues within a testing or experimental setting can affect responding to self-report instruments. Differences in the self-report of depressive symptomatology and daily hassles according to gender, gender role orientation, and manipulated instructional set were investigated. It was hypothesized that both depression scores and hassles scores would differ according to manipulated instructional set. It was also hypothesized that the depression and hassles scores of males and females would differ significantly, and that scores would differ according to reported gender role orientation. Undergraduate university students, 258 in total, in responding to a questionnaire, provided information regarding depressive symptomatology, daily hassles, and gender role orientation. The depression and hassles scores for males and females were not significantly different. Those individuals with a feminine gender role orientation and those classified as undifferentiated were found to have significantly higher depression and hassles scores than individuals reporting either a masculine or androgynous role orientation. Manipulated experimental cues did not significantly affect self-reported experience, since neither depression nor hassles scores differed significantly among four instructional sets.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1995 .H64. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 34-06, page: 2478. Adviser: Stewart Page. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1995