Gender differences in depression? Comparing a typical college research sample and a young adult community sample

Amidst otherwise robust gender differences in adult depression, Hammen and Padesky's (1977) finding of no gender difference in depressive symptoms in a large Typical College Research (TCR) sample cast doubt on the generalizability of depression research based on TCR samples. To empirically address this concern, we compared gender effects for depressive symptoms and disorders, and other diagnoses, in a TCR sample (N = 260) and a more representative sample of young adults (N = 316). Females exhibited elevations in depressive symptoms, and (major and minor) depressive, anxiety, and eating disorders relative to males that were consistent between the two samples. In contrast, males in the two samples exhibited higher rates of alcohol- and drug-related disorders. Robust gender differences across the two samples directly contradict the argument that an absence of gender differences in depression in TCR samples undermines their widespread use in depression and/or psychopathology research.