Sex differences in dependent personality disorder prevalence rates

A review of the empirical literature on sex differences in dependent personality disorder (DPD) prevalence rater indicates that, contrary to the assertions of the DSM-IV, women receive DPD diagnoses at significantly higher rater than do men. Research in this area further suggests that sex differences in DPD prevalence rater are due in part to men's unwillingness to acknowledge dependent feelings, attitudes, and behaviors in interviews and on self-report tests. Variations in the magnitude of sex differences obtained with different types of dependency measurer are reviewed, and the value of implementing a multimodal approach to assessing dependency in research and clinical settings is discussed.