Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Vulnerability to Depression

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2008), depression is the leading cause of disability among all diseases or illnesses. Depression differentially affects certain groups, however. In particular, women (Nolen-Hoeksema & Hilt, 2009) and sexual minorities1 (Meyer, 2003) are twice as likely to suffer depression as men and heterosexuals, respectively. Previous research has identified several factors that confer risk for depression within these groups, but few attempts have been made to identify common vulnerabilities across groups.