GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOATHOLOGY

Abstract

Gender differences in the development and expression of psychopathology have received considerable attention in developmental, clinical, and mental health research. This paper examines how gender shapes vulnerability, manifestation, and developmental trajectories of psychopathology across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Drawing on existing theoretical and empirical literature, the review highlights a consistent pattern in which females demonstrate greater vulnerability to internalizing disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, whereas males show higher rates of externalizing disorders, including conduct problems, substance use, aggression, and antisocial behaviours. These differences become more pronounced during adolescence, suggesting that psychopathology develops through dynamic interactions among biological maturation, psychological processes, and sociocultural experiences. The review further considers differences in age of onset, symptom presentation, comorbidity, and clinical outcomes, while examining biological, psychological, and sociocultural explanations of gendered psychopathology. It identifies important limitations in the literature, including reliance on single-factor explanations, inadequate longitudinal evidence, binary conceptualizations of gender, limited cross-cultural research, and insufficient investigation of mediating mechanisms. The paper argues for an integrative biopsychosocial-developmental framework that recognizes gender as an important but non-deterministic influence on psychopathological trajectories. Such an approach has implications for gender-sensitive assessment, prevention, treatment, policy, and mental health practice.