Gender Differences in Depression Symptom Severity: An AI-expedited Meta-analysis

Gender Differences in Depression Symptom Severity: An AI-expedited Meta-analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review Gender Differences in Depression Symptom Severity: An AI-expedited Meta-analysis Dmitry Scherbakov, Paul M. Heider, Jihad S. Obeid, Alexander V. Alekseyenko, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6578485/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This meta-analysis aims to examine gender differences in depression symptoms across various age groups and specific population samples, using an automated review approach powered by large language models (LLMs). Articles were retrieved using a PubMed-based pattern-matching tool, followed by OpenAI LLM inferences to identify studies reporting gender differences in depression symptoms. Studies were included if LLM reported that they contain mean values for depression symptoms, standard deviations, and sample sizes for both genders, allowing for meta-analysis of standardized mean differences (SMDs). Across all age groups, our results (SMD = 0.24 [0.23, 0.25]) were comparable to an earlier meta-analysis by Salk et al. (SMD = 0.27 [0.26, 0.29]). In addition, we found persistent gender differences in specific populations, such as cancer patients, and disparity variability depending on the measurement instrument used. Our findings confirm gender differences in depression symptoms using new data and support the utility of LLM-driven meta-analyses. Psychology Psychiatry Medical Informatics Mental health disparities Gender differences Automated literature review Meta-analysis Depression symptoms Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6578485","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":451099470,"identity":"198def8e-d085-425d-96d3-9eba8585887c","order_by":0,"name":"Dmitry Scherbakov","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAxUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHgYGxgYGA34oF8gmVotkA8laDA4Qq0W+/ezBx5U77IyNr50x/vCDwUZ2wwECWgzO5CUbnj2TbGZ2O8dMsochzZiwFgkeM8nGNmYbkBZmBobDiQS1yM/gMf/Z2FZvYzw7x/gzA8N/wloYbvCYMTa2HTYzkM4xkGZgOEBYi8GZHGPJxjPHjSVup5VJ9hgkG88k6LD2M4YfG3dUG/bPTt784UeFnWwfQYehWUqa8lEwCkbBKBgFOAAA6ONBnBwhq1oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7274-0934","institution":"Medical University of South Carolina","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dmitry","middleName":"","lastName":"Scherbakov","suffix":""},{"id":451099471,"identity":"7910d607-5afd-4d69-b2a7-ec64c23de5fe","order_by":1,"name":"Paul M. 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