Sex differences in mental health.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sex and mental illness. A sample of male and female adult psychiatric outpatients (n = 44) completed the Denver Community Mental Health Questionnaire (DCMHQ), the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, an abbreviated version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (the Mini-Mult), and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Differences in life event experiences, as well as differences on measures of anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and social functioning, were explored and identified by means of Pearson product-moment correlations. The strongest correlations were found between sex and four of the subscales of the DCMHQ: women tended to be less productive and evidenced more psychological distress than men; men had more legal difficulties and were more likely to use soft drugs. A modest correlation was found on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, with women showing higher scores.