Mental Health 515found it more difficult to share their feelings
with others as age increased, whereas girls
found it easier to share their feelings with
others as age increased (Polce-Lynch et al.,
1998). Here there is some evidence for gen-
der intensification during adolescence.
Why would gender intensification lead to
depression? Depression might be heightened
among women who realize the limiting value
of the female gender role. Although intelligence
and achievement orientation in childhood or
adolescence exert protective effects on men’s
mental health, these qualities may pose risks
for women’s mental health. Two older studies
suggested that this was the case. IQ scores were
associated with ambition, productivity, persis-
tence, and self-satisfaction in young adult men
(ages 18 and 23), but with introspection, anxi-
ety, rumination, and guilt among young adult
women (Block & Kremen, 1996). A longitudi-
nal study showed that higher IQ scores during
preschool predicted greater depression among
female 23-year-olds, but less depression among
males of the same age (Gjerde, 1995). These
studies were conducted quite some time ago,
however. It is important to determine whether
high achievement still poses risks to mental
health among adolescent females.Puberty
Because the emergence of sex differences in
depression coincides with puberty, research-
ers have investigated whether the physical
changes that accompany puberty are associ-
ated with depression in women. Some research
has shown that reaching puberty is associated
with the sex difference in depression (Angold,
Costello, & Worthman, 1998), whereas other
research has shown that it is the timing of
puberty. Reaching puberty early for one’s age
has been associated with depression in girls
(Graber, Brooks-Gunn, & Warren, 2006).
One way in which pubertal changes may besensitizes females to the depressogenic effects
of negative life events” (p. 22). In this section
of the chapter, I examine some of the chal-
lenges of adolescence that might lead to an
increase in depression among young women.Gender Intensification
Adolescence has been referred to as a time of
gender intensification(Hill & Lynch, 1983),
which means that gender roles and their as-
sociated norms become salient to females
and males. During adolescence, girls become
increasingly concerned with adhering to the
female gender role and boys become increas-
ingly concerned with adhering to the male
gender role. These concerns arise in part from
outside forces: Adolescents feel increasing
pressure from society to adhere to their gen-
der roles. I watched this happen before my
very eyes as my t-shirt and blue jeans daugh-
ter (who scolded me for wearing makeup for
years) started shaving her legs and had her
ears pierced three weeks before her twelfth
birthday and received makeup, perfume, and
nail polish from friends as presents. The mes-
sage is clear—it is time to look like a girl.
However, the evidence for gender in-
tensification is not clear. A study that exam-
ined changes in masculinity (or agency) and
femininity (or communion) among 11-, 13-,
and 15-year-olds showed that girls scored
higher than boys oncommunion atall assess-
ments but neither communion scores nor
the sex difference in communion changed
over time (Priess et al., 2009). There was no
sex difference in agency at any assessment.
However, there may be other ways to mea-
sure gender intensification aside from track-
ing these traits. It may be more informative
to examine specific behaviors, such as how
girls and boys spend their time or how they
interact with one another. A study of fifth,
eighth, and twelfth graders showed that boysM13_HELG0185_04_SE_C13.indd 515 6/21/11 12:55 PM