Gendered Perceptions of Dependency in Discussions of Mental Illness

Abstract

Current research on mental health typically equates dependent behavior with negative health outcomes and thereby ignores how other people perceive dependency and mental illness in gendered ways. Using data from the Indianapolis Network Mental Health Study, I conducted a quantitative analysis of gender differences in the prevalence of network members' discussions of dependency, followed by a qualitative analysis of how network members describe dependency. The sex of the network member, together with the sex of the patient, significantly predict discussions of dependency, net of other factors. Moreover, network members in same-sex dyads are more likely to discuss dependence than are their counterparts in opposite-sex dyads. The qualitative results provide a more contextualized understanding of the connections among gender, dependency, and mental illness. Male network members' reports indicate strong censure of male patients for dependent behavior, while female network members' reports indicate that female patients see dependency in a more nuanced and complex way. In addition, network members in opposite-sex dyads are more accepting of dependent behavior than network members in same-sex dyads. These findings underscore the importance of examining how others perceive mental illness and how these perceptions may be gendered.