Brave men and timid women? A review of the gender differences in fear and anxiety

doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.05.003

Clinical Psychology Review

Volume 29, Issue 6, August 2009, Pages 496-505

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.05.003 Get rights and content

Abstract

Substantial evidence indicates that women report greater fear and are more likely to develop anxiety disorders than men. Women's greater vulnerability for anxiety disorders can be partly understood by examining gender differences in the etiological factors known to contribute to anxiety. This review examines evidence for gender differences across a broad range of relevant factors, including biological influences, temperamental factors, stress and trauma, cognitive factors, and environmental factors. Gender differences are observed with increasing consistency as the scope of analysis broadens to molar levels of functioning. Socialization processes cultivate and promote processes related to anxiety, and moderate gender differences across levels of analysis.

Section snippets

Gender differences in fear

Gender differences in fear reporting are evident in children as young as 9–12 years of age (Ollendick, 1983). Among adults, a number of self-report studies indicate that women endorse a greater number and severity of fears than men (e.g., Arrindell, 2000, Bourdon et al., 1988, Davey, 1994). For example, Tucker and Bond (1997) found significant gender differences in fear of repulsive animals (e.g., snakes) and fear of harmless animals (e.g., dogs), but no differences in fears of bodily injury,

Overview of etiological factors

Women's greater vulnerability for anxiety can be partly understood by examining etiological factors related to anxiety across levels of analysis. Beginning with an examination of biological factors, the scope of analysis in this review increases at each level. Although divisions between levels are somewhat arbitrary, they are heuristically useful for purposes of investigation and review.

Conclusion

Substantial evidence points to a preponderance of women demonstrating greater fear and anxiety than men across the life span. Many of the risk factors for developing anxiety form the basis for the expected gender differences. For example, women tend to score higher on higher-order vulnerability factors including negative affectivity and trait anxiety. Further, genetic research suggests that these factors are more heritable among women for reasons that are still unclear. One possibility is that

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Brave men and timid women? A review of the gender differences in fear and anxiety

Abstract

Section snippets

Gender differences in fear

Overview of etiological factors

Conclusion

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Journal of Research in Personality

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Psychiatric Clinics of North America

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Personality and Individual Differences

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behavior Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

Journal of Research in Personality

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

Psychiatry Research

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

Psychiatric Clinics of North America

Behavior Therapy

Biological Psychiatry

DSM-III disorders in preadolescent children: Prevalence in a large sample from the general population

Archives of General Psychiatry

The Zurich Study: V. Anxiety and phobia in young adults

European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences

Temperament and craniofacial variation in the first two years

Child Development

Cultural variations in sex-typing

Sex Roles

Self-efficacy: The exercise of control

Disorders of emotion

Psychological Inquiry

Unraveling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory

American Psychologist

Anxiety & its disorders

Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex typing

Psychological Review

Anxiety correlates of sex-role identity

Journal of Clinical Psychology

Post-traumatic stress disorder and coping in veterans who are seeking medical treatment

Journal of Clinical Psychology

Gender differences in the sensitivity to posttraumatic stress disorder: An epidemiological study of urban young adults

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Gender differences in major depression: The role of anxiety

Influence of psychiatric comorbidity on recovery and recurrence in generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and panic disorder: A 12-year prospective study

American Journal of Psychiatry

Race and gender differences in self-efficacy: Assessing the role of gender role attitudes and family background

Sex Roles

The nature of feared outcome representations in children

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology

Sex roles, gender and fears: A brief report

Phobia Practice and Research Journal

Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Gender differences in obsessive compulsive disorder

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

Agoraphobia