lournal of Social and CImical Psychology, Vol 2, No 1, 1984, pp 57-70 GENDER AND DEPRESSION: EXPLORING THE ADULT-ROLE EXPLANATION RENA L. REPETTI AND FAYE CROSBY Yale University This article reviews current explanations of the frequently reported gender difference in depression, emphasizing interpretations based on the roles of women in society. Data from a community survey of 405 women and men are presented to elucidate the strengths and weaknesses of the various explanations. The methodology improves upon previous research by separating gender from confounding factors and by examining the relationship between depression and emotional experiences at home and at work. Results (1) show that when gender, occupational prestige, and adult roles are disentangled, the gender difference in depression disappears: and (2) offer strongest support for a "paucity of roles" explanation, suggesting that a lack of multi ple outlets for pleasure and support leads to symptoms of depression. Women may have traditionally been reported to have higher rates of depression because, in the past, they have typically been limited to one role that of housewife. The potential benefits, for both women and men, of functioning within multiple roles are discussed. Time anci again, systematic studies have found that women suffer from depression more often and more severely than do men. Researchers have consistently reported gender differences in both psychiatric and community samples (Dohrenwend & Dohrenwend, 1975; Radloff, 1975). Furthermore, the gender difference has not seemed to be limited to any one class or culture (Weissman & Klerman, 1977). Social scientists have proposed a great variety of explanations for the observed differences in rates of depression. Most can be grouped under four headings. The purpose of our paper is to review the explana- The order of authorship was determined by a flip of a com because both authors con tributed equally to this paper. We are grateful to James Coyne, Jennifer Crocker, Travis Crosby, Mark Grinblatt, Helen Block Lewis, Etta Onat, H. Catherine Skinner, and Diana Zuckerman for their thoughtful comments on various drafts of the manuscript. Requests for reprints should be sent to Rena L. Repetti, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024. 57