Academic Journal
Gender and self-rated mental health: an integrative approach.
| Τίτλος: | Gender and self-rated mental health: an integrative approach. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Sher C; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Pechenkov IG; Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada., Wu C; York University, North York, ON, Canada. carywu@yorku.ca. |
| Πηγή: | Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique [Can J Public Health] 2026 Aug; Vol. 117 (4), pp. 741-752. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Dec 11. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Nature Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 0372714 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1920-7476 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00084263 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Can J Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Switzerland : Springer Nature Original Publication: Ottawa : Canadian Public Health Association |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Mental Health*/statistics & numerical data , Gender Identity* , Self Report* , Diagnostic Self Evaluation*, Humans ; Female ; Male ; Canada ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Masculinity ; Femininity ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult ; Gender-Nonconforming Persons ; Adolescent |
| Περίληψη: | Objective: Men often self-rate their mental health better than women and other gender groups. To better assess how gender is related to self-rated health, this study goes beyond the binary approach and explores how variations in self-rated mental health across multiple fixed gender categories are associated with variations along the continuous masculinity and femininity scales. Methods: Data came from a large sample of Canadian adults (n = 11,712) collected from August 17 to September 19, 2021. Gender identity is measured using both fixed categories (i.e., men, women, and TNO-trans, non-binary, or other genders) as well as self-ratings of masculinity and femininity on a scale from 0 to 100. Self-rated mental health includes four categories: poor, fair, good, and excellent. Logistic regression models were used in estimations. Results: Men reported better self-rated mental health than women and individuals who identify as trans, non-binary, or other genders. These gender gaps become non-significant once femininity and masculinity scales are taken into account. Overall, both femininity and masculinity are positively and non-linearly associated with self-rated mental health, and the positive associations get stronger at higher levels of femininity and masculinity. When separated by fixed gender categories, the accelerating positive effect of masculinity on self-rated mental health is present among both men and women, but not among TNO individuals. In contrast, the accelerating positive effect of femininity is observed only among men. Conclusion: The gender gaps in self-rated mental health are primarily driven by the differing relationships between mental health and masculinity and femininity across gender categories. Improvement in measuring gender identity can provide valuable insights into how gender is a critical determinant of mental health and mental health disparities. It can also help identify those most affected and enable more targeted prevention and treatment services. (© 2025. The Author(s) under exclusive license to The Canadian Public Health Association.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval: This study qualifies for an exemption from ethics review as it does not involve human participants. All data analyzed come from publicly available datasets. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Grant Information: | 435-2022-0691 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Femininity; Gender identity; Masculinity; Non-binary and transgender populations; Self-rated mental health Local Abstract: [Publisher, French] RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les hommes évaluent souvent leur santé mentale de manière plus positive que les femmes et les autres groupes de genre. Afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre le genre et l’autoévaluation de la santé, cette étude dépasse l’approche binaire et examine comment les variations de la santé mentale autoévaluée selon plusieurs catégories de genre fixes sont associées aux variations le long des échelles continues de masculinité et de féminité. MéTHODES: Les données proviennent d’un large échantillon d’adultes canadiens (n = 11 712) recueillies entre le 17 août et le 19 septembre 2021. L’identité de genre a été mesurée à l’aide de catégories fixes (hommes, femmes et TNO – trans, non binaires ou autres genres), ainsi que par des autoévaluations de la masculinité et de la féminité sur une échelle de 0 à 100. La santé mentale autoévaluée comprend quatre catégories: mauvaise, passable, bonne et excellente. Des modèles de régression logistique ont été utilisés pour les estimations. RéSULTATS: Les hommes déclarent une meilleure santé mentale autoévaluée que les femmes et les personnes s’identifiant comme trans, non binaires ou d’un autre genre. Ces écarts de genre deviennent non significatifs lorsque les échelles de féminité et de masculinité sont prises en compte. Globalement, la féminité et la masculinité sont toutes deux associées positivement et de manière non linéaire à la santé mentale autoévaluée, et ces associations positives se renforcent à des niveaux élevés de féminité et de masculinité. Lorsqu’on distingue les catégories de genre fixes, l’effet positif croissant de la masculinité sur la santé mentale autoévaluée est observé chez les hommes et les femmes, mais non chez les individus TNO. En revanche, l’effet positif croissant de la féminité n’est observé que chez les hommes. CONCLUSIONS: Les écarts de genre dans la santé mentale autoévaluée s’expliquent principalement par les différences dans les relations entre la santé mentale, la masculinité et la féminité selon les catégories de genre. Une amélioration des mesures de l’identité de genre peut fournir des éclairages précieux sur la façon dont le genre constitue un déterminant crucial de la santé mentale et des inégalités en santé mentale. Elle peut également aider à identifier les groupes les plus touchés et à orienter plus efficacement les services de prévention et de traitement. |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251211 Date Completed: 20260901 Latest Revision: 20260904 |
| Update Code: | 20260904 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13536534 |
| DOI: | 10.17269/s41997-025-01141-2 |
| PMID: | 41381812 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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