Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Twenty Years of the Sociology of Mental Health: The Continued Significance of Gender and Marital Status for Emotional Well-Being

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sociology of Mental Health

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Sociology ((BRIEFSSOCY))

Abstract

Since the formation of the Mental Health Section of the American Sociological Association in 1992, scholars have made significant progress in our understanding of the social determinants of gender and marital status differences in emotional well-being. In this chapter, I summarize some broad themes that have emerged from the past two decades of scholarship on gender, marital status, and mental health, broadly defined—highlighting theoretical continuities and new developments, methodological innovations as well as important substantive findings. While earlier research focused on documenting gender and marital status differences in symptoms of depression and generalized psychological distress, this new wave of research pays close attention to the larger social, economic, and cultural context in which men’s and women’s lives are embedded, the proximate social conditions under which their social roles and relationships are emotionally beneficial or distressing as well as the different ways in which they express emotional disturbance. Overall, the large body of scholarship on these separate but highly interrelated topics indicates that despite profound social change in gender and marital patterns that have been occurring in the U.S. since the last quarter of the 20th century, gender and marital status continue to shape the mental health of adults in the early part of 21st century.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Amato, P. R., & Cheadle, J. (2005). The long reach of divorce: divorce and child-well-being across three generations. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 191–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aneshensel, C. S. (1992). Social stress: Theory and research. Annual Review of Sociology, 18, 15–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aneshensel, C. S., Frerichs, R. R., & Clark, V. A. (1981). Family roles and sex differences in depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 379–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aneshensel, C. S., Rutter, C. M., & Lachenbruch, P. A. (1991). Social structure, stress, and mental health: Competing conceptual and analytic models. American Sociological Review, 56, 166–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avison, W., Ali, J., & Walters, D. (2007). Family structure, stress, and psychological distress: A demonstration of the impact of differential exposure. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62, 911–926.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avison, W., & McAlpine, D. (1992). Gender differences in symptoms of depression among adolescents. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 77–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, A. E. (2000). Marital trajectories and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41, 451–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, A. E. (2005). Gendered experiences in midlife: Implications for age identity. Journal of Aging Studies, 19, 163–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, J. (1982). The future of marriage. New Haven: Yale University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, S. M., & Milke, M. A. (2010). Work and family research in the first decade of the 21st century. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 72, 705–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, S. M., Robinson, J. P., & Milke, M. A. (2007). Changing rhythms of American family life. New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bird, C. E. (1999). Gender, household labor, and psychological distress: The impact of the amount and division of housework. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 40, 32–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bird, C. E., & Rieker, P. P. (1999). Gender matters: An integrated model for understanding men’s and women’s health. Social Science and Medicine, 48, 745–755.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bird, C. E., & Rieker, P. P. (2008). Gender and health: The effects of constrained choices and social policies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Booth, A., & Amato, P. (1991). Divorce and psychological stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 396–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. (2000). The effect of union type on psychological well-being: Depression among cohabitors versus marrieds. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41, 241–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caputo, J., & Simon, R. W. (2013). Physical limitations and emotional well-being: Gender and marital status variations. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 54, 241–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, D., & Springer, K. W. (2010). Advances in families and health research in the 21st century. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 72, 744–761.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherlin, A. (2010). Demographic trends in the United States: A review of research in the 2000s. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 72, 403–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christopher, K., England, P., Smeeding, T. M., & Phillips, K. R. (2002). Nations: Single motherhood, the market, and the state. Sociological Perspectives, 45, 219–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cleary, P. D., & Mechanic, D. (1983). Sex differences in psychological distress among married people. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 111–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conger, R. D., Lorenz, F. O., Elder, G. H, Jr, Simons, R. L., & Ge, X. (1993). Husband and wife differences in response to undesirable life events. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 34, 71–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dohrenwend, B. S., & Dohrenwend, B. S. (1977). Sex differences in psychiatric disorders. American Journal of Sociology, 81, 1447–1454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1951). Suicide: A study in sociology. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ensminger, M. E., & Celantano, D. D. (1990). Gender differences in the effect of unemployment on psychological distress. Social Science and Medicine, 30, 469–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evenson, R., & Simon, R. W. (2005). Clarifying the relationship between parenthood and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46, 358–3411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fausto-Sterling, A. (1992). Biological theories about women and men. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forthofer, M. S., Kessler, R. C., Story, A. L., & Gotlib, I. H. (1996). The effects of psychiatric disorders on the probability and timing of first marriage. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 121–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank Jr, F., Kennedy, S., McLoyd, V. C., Rumbaut, R. G., & Settersten Jr, R. A. (2004). Growing up is harder to do. Contexts 3: 33–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerson, K. (2011). The unfinished revolution: Coming of age in a new era of gender, work, and family. New York: Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerstel, N., Riessman, C. K., & Rosenfield, S. (1985). Explaining the symptomology of separated and divorced women and men: The role of material conditions and social networks. Social Forces, 64, 84–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerstel, N., & Sarkisian, N. (2006). Marriage: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Contexts, 5, 16–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, J., & Fujimoto, T. (1994). Housework, paid work, and depression among husbands and wives. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35, 179–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gore, S., Aseltine, R., & Cotton, S. (1992). Social structure, life stress, and depressive symptoms in a high-school-age population. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 97–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gore, S., & Mangione, T. (1983). Social roles, sex roles, and psychological distress: Additive and interactive models. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 300–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gove, W. R. (1972). The Relationship between Sex Roles, Marital Status and Mental Illness. Social Forces, 51, 34–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gove, W., & Tudor, J. F. (1973). Adult sex roles and mental illness. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 50–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagan, J., & Foster, H. (2003). S/He’s a Rebel: Toward a sequential theory of delinquency and gendered pathways to disadvantage in emerging adulthood. Social Forces, 82, 53–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, D., & Booth, A. (2005). Unhappily ever after: Effects of long-term, low- quality marriages on well-being. Social Forces, 84, 451–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, S. A., & Sprague, J. (1999). Parenting in black and white families: The interaction of gender with race and class. Gender and Society, 13, 480–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hochschild, A. R. (1979). Emotion work, feeling rules, and social structure. American Journal of Sociology, 85, 551–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Notes on the commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley: University of California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hochschild, A. (1989). The second shift: Working parents and the revolution at home. New York: Viking.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopcroft, R. L., & Bradley, D. B. (2007). The sex difference in depression across 29 countries. Social Forces, 85, 1483–1507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horwitz, A. V., White, H. R., & Howell-White, S. (1996). The use of multiple outcomes in stress research: A case study of gender differences in responses to marital dissolution. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 278–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. S., Landis, K., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C. (1979a). Stress, social status, and psychological distress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 20, 259–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C. (1979b). A strategy for studying differential vulnerability to the psychological consequences of stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 20, 100–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C. (2003). Epidemiology of women and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 74, 5–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & Essex, M. (1982). Marital status and depression: The importance of coping resources. Social Forces, 6, 484–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & Jr, J. M. (1982). The effect of wives’ employment on the mental health of married men and women. American Sociological Review, 47, 216–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., McGonagle, K. A., Schwartz, M., Blazer, D. G., & Nelson, C. B. (1993). Sex and depression in the national comorbidity survey I: Lifetime prevalence, chronicity, and recurrence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 25, 85–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., McGonagle, K. A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C. B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, S., et al. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III R psychiatric disorders in the United States: Results from the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & McLeod, J. D. (1984). Sex differences in vulnerability to undesirable life events. American Sociological Review, 49, 620–631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & McRae, J. A. (1984). Trends in the relationships of sex and marital status to psychological distress. Research in Community and Mental Health, 4, 109–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. (2009). Guyland: The perilous world of where boys become men. New York: Harper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinenberg, E. (2012). Going solo: The extraordinary rise and surprising appeal of living alone. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladner, J. (1995). Tomorrow’s tomorrow: The black woman. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lennon, M. C. (1987). Sex differences in distress: The impact of gender and work roles. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 28, 290–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lennon, M. C., & Rosenfield, S. (1995). Relative fairness and the division of household work. American Journal of Sociology, 100, 506–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (1999). Labeling and stigma. In C. S. Aneshensel & J. C. Phelan (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 481–493). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lively, K., Steelman, L. C., & Powell, B. (2010). Equity, emotion, and household division of labor. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73, 358–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mabry, J. B., & Kiecolt, Jill. (2005). Anger in black and white: race, alienation, and anger. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46, 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcussen, K. (2005). Explaining differences in mental health between married and cohabiting individuals. Social Psychology Quarterly, 68, 239–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marks, N. F., & Lambert, J. D. (1998). Marital status continuity and change among young and midlife adults: Longitudinal effects on psychological well-being. Journal of Family Issues, 19, 652–686.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mastekaasa, Arne. (1992). Marriage and psychological well-being: some evidence on selection into marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 901–911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLanahan, S. (1983). Family structure and stress: A longitudinal comparison of two-parent and female-headed families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 347–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLanahan, S., & Kelly, E. (2006). The feminization of poverty: Past and future. In J. Chafetz (Ed.), Handbook of the sociology of gender (pp. 127–145). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J. D., & Shanahan, M. J. (1993). Poverty, parenting, and children’s mental health. American Sociological Review, 58, 351–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J. D., & Shanahan, M. J. (1996). Trajectories of poverty and children’s mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 207–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMullin, J. A., & Cairney, J. (2004). Self-esteem and the intersection of age, class, and gender. Journal of Aging Studies, 18, 75–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menaghan, E. G. (1985). Depressive affect and subsequent divorce. Journal of Family Issues, 6, 296–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menaghan, E. G. (1989). Role changes and psychological well-being: Variations in effects by gender and role repertoire. Social Forces, 3, 693–714.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, J. K., Weissman, M. M., Tischler, G. L., Holzer, C. E., Leaf, P. J., Orvaschel, H., et al. (1984). Six-month prevalence of psychiatric disorders in three communities. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 959–967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, S. M., & Kirsh, N. (1989). Sex differences in cognitive coping with stress. In R. C. Barnette, L. Biener, & G. K. Baruch (Eds.), Gender and stress (pp. 278–307). New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirowsky, J. (1996). Age and the gender gap in depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 362–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. (2006). Social causes of psychological distress. New York: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needham, B., & Hill, T. (2010). Do gender differences in mental health contribute to gender differences in physical health? Social Science and Medicine, 71, 1472–1479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, J. P. (1986). Gender, life strains, and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 27, 161–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nomaguchi, K., Milke, M., & Bianchi, S. (2005). Time strains and psychological well-being: Do dual earner mothers and fathers differ? Journal of Family Issues, 26, 756–792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Offer, S., & Schneider, B. (2011). Revisit ing the gender gap in time-use patterns: Multitasking and well-being among mothers and fathers in dual-earner families. American Sociological Review, 76, 809–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, Talcott. (1955). Family socialization and interaction processes. Glencoe: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I. (1975). Sex roles and depression. In N. Datan & L. Ginsberg (Eds.), Proceedings of the fourth lifespan developmental psychology conference: Normative life crises (pp. 191–208). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I. (1989). The sociological study of stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30, 241–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., & Johnson, J. (1977). Marital status, life strains, and depression. American Sociological Review, 42, 704–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., & Lieberman, M. A. (1979). Social sources of emotional distress. In R. Simmons (Ed.), Research and community mental health (Vol. 1, pp. 217–248). New York: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19, 2–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pescosolido, B. A., Perry, B. L., Scott Long, J., & Martin, J. K. (2008). Under the influence of genetics: How trans-disciplinary leads us to rethink social pathways to illness. American Journal of Sociology, 114(Supplement), S171–S201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, B., Bolzendahl, C., Geist, C., & Steelman, L. C. (2010). Same sex relations and Americans’ definition of family. New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ridgeway, C. (2011). Framed by gender: How gender inequality persists in the modern world. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rieker, P. P., & Bird, C. E. (2008). Rethinking gender differences in health: Why we need to integrate social and biological perspectives. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B, 60(2), S40–S47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, L. N., & Regier, D. A. (Eds.). (1994). Psychiatric disorders in America: The epidemiologic catchment area study. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, R. W., & Trzesniewski, K. H. (2005). Self-esteem development across the lifespan. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 158–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S. (1980). Sex differences in depression: Do women always have higher rates? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 33–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S. (1989). The effects of women’s employment: Personal control and sex differences in mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30, 77–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S. (1992). The costs of sharing: Wives’ employment and husbands’ mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 213–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S. (1999a). Gender and mental health: Do women have more psychopathology, men more, or both the same (and why)? In A. V. Horwitz, & T. L. Scheid (Eds.), Handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories, and systems (pp. 349–360). Cambridge: Cambridge Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S. (1999b). Splitting the difference: gender, the self, and mental health. In C. S. Aneshensel, & J. C. Phelan (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 209–224). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S. (2012). Triple jeopardy? Mental health at the intersection of gender, race, and class. Social Science and Medicine, 74, 1791–1801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S., Lennon, M. C., & White, H. R. (2005). The self and mental health: Self-salience and the emergence of internalizing and externalizing problems. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46, 323–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S., & Mouzon, D. (2013). Gender and mental health. In C. S. Aneshensel, J. C. Phelan, & A. Bierman (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of mental health (2nd ed., pp. 277–298), New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S., Philips, J., & White, H. (2006). Gender, race and the self in mental health and crime. Social Problems, 53, 161–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield, S., Vertefuille, J., & McAlpine, D. (2000). Gender stratification and mental health: dimensions of the self. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63, 208–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. (1995). Re-conceptualizing marital status as a continuum of social attachment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 129–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C., & Mirowsky, J. (1988). Childcare and emotional adjustment to wives’ employment. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 29, 127–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C., Mirowsky, J., & Huber, J. (1983). Dividing work, sharing work, and in-between: Marriage patters and depression. American Sociological Review, 48, 809–823.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C., & Van Willigen, M. (1996). Gender, parenthood, and anger. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 572–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roxburgh, S. (1996). Gender differences in work and well-being: Effects of exposure and vulnerability. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 265–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schnittker, J. (2008). Happiness and success: genes, families, and the psychological effects of socioeconomic position and social support. American Journal of Sociology, 114(Supplement), S233–S259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (1992). Parental role strains, salience of parental identity, and gender differences in psychological distress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 25–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (1995). Gender, multiple roles, role meaning, and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 182–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (1997). The meanings individuals attach to role identities and their implications for mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 38, 256–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (1998). Assessing sex differences in vulnerability among employed parents: The importance of marital status. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 39, 37–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (2000). The importance of culture in sociological theory and research on stress and mental health: A missing link? In C. Bird, P. Conrad, & A. Fremont (Eds.), Handbook of medical sociology (5th ed., pp. 68–78). New York: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (2002). Revisiting the relationships among gender, marital status, and mental health. American Journal of Sociology, 107, 1065–1096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W. (2007). Contributions of the sociology of mental health for understanding the social antecedents, social regulation, and social distribution of emotion. In W. Avison, J. McLeod, & B. Pescosilido (Eds.), Mental Health, Social mirror (pp. 239–274). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W., & Barrett, A. E. (2010). Non-marital romantic relationships and mental health in early adulthood: Does the association differ for women and men?. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51, 168–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W., & Lively, K. (2010). Sex, anger, and depression. Social Forces, 88, 1543–1568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W., & Marcussen, K. (1999). Marital transitions, marital beliefs, and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 40, 111–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R. W., & Nath, Leda K. (2004). Gender and emotion in the U.S.: Do men and women differ in self-reports of feelings and expressive behavior? American Journal of Sociology, 109, 1137–1176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith-Lovin, L. (1995). The sociology of affect and emotion. In K. Cook, G. A. Fine, & J. S. House (Eds.), Sociological perspectives of social psychology (pp. 118–148). New York: Allyn Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Springer, K. W., Hankivsky, O., & Bates, L. M. (2012). Gender and health: Relational, intersectional, and biosocial approaches. Social Science and Medicine, 74, 1661–1666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, B., & Wolfers, J. (2009). The paradox of declining female happiness. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 1, 190–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1982). Life stress, social support, and psychological vulnerability: Epidemiological considerations. Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 341–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1986). Multiple identities: Examining gender and marital status differences in distress. American Sociological Review, 51, 259–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1987). Gender and marital status differences in control and distress: Common stress versus unique stress explanations. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 28, 7–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1989). The sociology of emotions. Annual Review of Sociology, 15, 317–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1991). On merging identity theory and stress research. Social Psychology Quarterly, 54, 101–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1992). Identity structures and psychological well-being: Gender and marital status comparisons. Social Psychology Quarterly, 55, 236–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1995). Stress, coping, and social support: Where are we? What next? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35(Extra Issue), 53–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (2010). Stress and health: Major findings and policy implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51, 41–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. J., & Roszell P. (1994). Psychosocial resources and the stress process. In W. R. Avison, & I. H. Gotlib (Eds.), Stress and mental health: Contemporary issues and prospects for the future (pp. 179–210). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. J., & Avison, W. (1989). Gender and depression: Assessing exposure and vulnerability to life events in a chronically strained population. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 177, 443–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. J., & Marino, F. (1994). Social support and social structure: A descriptive epidemiology. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 235, 193–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. J., & Turner, J. B. (1999). Social integration and support. In C. S. Aneshensel, & J. C. Phelan (Eds.), The handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 301–319). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. J., Wheaton, B., & Lloyd, D. A. (1995). The epidemiology of social stress. American Sociological Review, 60, 104–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uecker, J. E. (2012). Marriage and mental health among young adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 53, 67–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ueno, Koji. (2010). Same-Sex experience and mental health during the transition between adolescence and young adulthood. Sociological Quarterly, 51, 484–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umberson D. (2012). Marriage, gender and health in lesbian, gay and heterosexual couples. Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Chen, M. D., House, J. S., Hopkins, K., & Slater, E. (1996). The effect of social relationships on psychological well-being: Are men and women really so different? American Sociological Review, 61, 837–857.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., & Kristi, W. (1999). Family status and mental health. In C. S. Aneshensel, & J. C. Phelan (Eds.), The handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 225–253). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Wortman, C. A., & Kessler, R. C. (1992). Widowhood and depression: Explaining long-term gender differences in vulnerability. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 10–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United States Census Bureau. (2010). Households and families: 2010. 2010 Census briefs. (http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-14.pdf).

  • Wade, T. J., & Pevalin, D. J. (2004). Marital transitions and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45, 155–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weissman, M. M., & Klerman, G. L. (1977). Sex differences and the epidemiology of depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 98–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, B. (1990). Life transitions, role histories, and mental health. American Sociological Review, 55, 209–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, K. (2003). Has the future of marriage arrived? A contemporary examination of gender, marriage, and psychological well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44, 470–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. R., Takeuchi, D., & Adair, R. K. (1992). Marital status and psychiatric disorders among blacks and whites. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 140–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2000). International consortium of psychiatric epidemiology: Cross- national comparisons of mental disorders. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 78, 413–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y. (2008). Social inequalities in happiness in the U.S. 1972–2004: An age-period-cohort analysis. American Sociological Review, 73, 2004–2026.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Robert Johnson, Bruce Link, and Jay Turner for inviting my contribution to this volume. I also thank the two anonymous reviewers for their excellent suggestions as well as Debra Umberson and Mieke Beth Thomeer for providing abstracts of all articles published over the past two decades in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior on the topics of gender, marital status, and mental health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Robin W. Simon

Authors
  1. Robin W. Simon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robin W. Simon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA

    Robert J. Johnson

  2. Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    R. Jay Turner

  3. Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Bruce G. Link

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Simon, R.W. (2014). Twenty Years of the Sociology of Mental Health: The Continued Significance of Gender and Marital Status for Emotional Well-Being. In: Johnson, R., Turner, R., Link, B. (eds) Sociology of Mental Health. SpringerBriefs in Sociology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07797-0_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation