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Gender Differences in Psychotropic Use Across Europe: Results From a Large Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2015

A. Boyd ,
S. Van de Velde ,
M. Pivette ,
M. ten Have ,
S. Florescu ,
S. O’Neill ,
J.-M. Caldas-de-Almeida ,
G. Vilagut ,
J.M. Haro  and
J. Alonso
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A. Boyd
Affiliation:
École des hautes études en santé publique (EHESP), EA 4057, Paris Descartes University, 75014Paris, France Inserm UMR_S1136, Institut Pierre-Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, 75013Paris, France
S. Van de Velde
Affiliation:
École des hautes études en santé publique (EHESP), EA 4057, Paris Descartes University, 75014Paris, France Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
M. Pivette
Affiliation:
École des hautes études en santé publique (EHESP), EA 4057, Paris Descartes University, 75014Paris, France
M. ten Have
Affiliation:
Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, The Netherlands
S. Florescu
Affiliation:
National School of Public Health, Management and Professional Development, Bucharest, Romania
S. O’Neill
Affiliation:
Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well-Being, University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
J.-M. Caldas-de-Almeida
Affiliation:
Chronic Diseases Research Center (CEDOC) and Department of Mental Health, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
G. Vilagut
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
J.M. Haro
Affiliation:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, CIBERSAM, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
J. Alonso
Affiliation:
Health Services Research Unit, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
V. Kovess-Masféty*
Affiliation:
École des hautes études en santé publique (EHESP), EA 4057, Paris Descartes University, 75014Paris, France
*
*Corresponding author. EHESP, rue du Pr-Léon-Bernard, 35043 Rennes, France. Tel.: +33299022536; fax: +33958492289. E-mail address: viviane.kovess@ehesp.fr (V. Kovess-Masféty).
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Abstract

Background

In many epidemiological studies, women have been observed to consume psychotropic medication more often than men. However, the consistency of this relationship across Europe, with differences in mental health care (MHC) resources and reimbursement policies, is unknown.

Methods

Questions on 12-month psychotropic use (antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers) were asked to 34,204 respondents from 10 European countries of the EU-World Mental Health surveys. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) criteria were used to determine 12-month prevalence of mood/anxiety disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (v3.0).

Results

For all participating countries, women were significantly more likely than men to use psychotropic medication within the previous 12 months (overall-OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.81–2.31). This relationship remained significant after adjusting for common sociodemographic factors (age, income level, employment status, education, marital status) and country-level indicators (MHC provision, private household out-of-pocket expenditure, and Gender Gap Index). In multivariable gender-stratified risk-factor analysis, both women and men were more likely to have taken psychotropic medication with increasing age, decreasing income level, and mental health care use within the past 12 months, with no significant differences between genders. When only including participants with a mental disorder, gender differences overall were still significant with any 12-month mood disorder but not with any 12-month anxiety disorder, remaining so after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and country-level indicators.

Conclusions

Women use psychotropic medication consistently more often than men, yet reasons for their use are similar between genders. These differences also appear to be contingent on the specific mental disorder.

Keywords

AntidepressantBenzodiapineMood stabilizersAnxiety disordersMood disorders
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , September 2015 , pp. 778 - 788
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2015

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