Due to biological differences between males and females, females present a natural hormonal imbalance that can cause secondary health issues, one of which being depression. Many females seek hormonal therapy to correct this imbalance and prevent such health issues from occurring. Several data has suggested that there is a relationship between taking female hormones and depression, but the results are not consistent across the data. This study attempts to determine the type of association that exists between these two variables. This secondary analysis used cross-sectional data from the Nation Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which collected data through household surveys and mobile examination centers. Measures on participant’s ever use of female hormones, and the level of depression that each participant experienced using the 9 item depression questionnaire were used. Only females who were of reproductive age were examined (ages 15-49). Confounding variables such as annual household income, socioeconomic status, education level, and substance abuse of alcohol, drugs, and marijuana were accounted for to help eliminate bias and possible effect on level of causation between hormones and depression. Data analysis and interpretation suggested no association between taking female hormones and depression–those who did not take female hormones had 61% lower odds of depression, but the finding was not statistically significant. Binary logistic regression suggested that the odds of association between taking female hormones and depression is not significantly different from 0. This study provided future research suggestions for scientists in the field and synthesized existing data to yield a more comprehensive outlook on previous findings.
Author(s): Joelle Roth, Public Health and Premedical Studies Major
Katie Beckman, Public Health Major
Advisor(s): Saruna Ghimire, Department of Sociology and Gerontology
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