{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T03:48:14Z","timestamp":1790912894730,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,24]],"date-time":"2025-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755993600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"AIFA","award":["FARM54S73S"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FARM54S73S"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is more prevalent in women, but men with MDD may experience higher suicide risk and a different symptom profile. This study investigates the subjective impact of MDD on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in males and females. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a representative sample from six Italian regions. MDD diagnoses were determined through semi-structured clinical interviews, and HR-QoL was assessed using the SF-12 questionnaire. Mania, hypomania, and subthreshold hypomanic symptoms were evaluated using the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). Results: Women had a higher prevalence of MDD (6.2%) than men (3.5%). However, men with MDD showed significantly lower HR-QoL scores compared to non-depressed males, with a greater difference than that observed in women. No significant sex differences emerged in psychiatric comorbidities, but men showed a trend toward higher MDQ positivity, possibly indicating a different depressive phenotype. Conclusions: Although less frequently diagnosed in men, MDD appears to have a stronger perceived impact on quality of life in males. This finding may reflect under-recognized symptoms such as irritability, hyperactivity, and social rhythm dysregulation. Gender-sensitive screening and intervention strategies are essential to improve early detection and reduce the untreated burden of depression in men, ultimately supporting more equitable mental health outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14175984","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,25]],"date-time":"2025-08-25T00:09:53Z","timestamp":1756080593000},"page":"5984","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Gender Differences in the Perceived Impact of Major Depressive Disorder on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Population Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1566-1974","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cesar Ivan","family":"Aviles Gonzalez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of Enna \u2018Kore\u2019, 94100 Enna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Barrui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Sanitaria Locale Ogliastra\u2014Sardinia, 08045 Lanusei, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7144-7403","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gian Mario","family":"Migliaccio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Sciences and Promotion of the Quality of Life, San Raffaele Rome Open University, 00166 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5759-1065","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Felice","family":"Curcio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Sassari (UNISS), Viale San Pietro 43\/B, 07100 Sassari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-6682-3117","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Gioiello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of Enna \u2018Kore\u2019, 94100 Enna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zoraima","family":"Romero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PhD Program in Tropical Medicine, Universidad Popular del Cesar, Valledupar 200001, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0091-7524","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dhurata","family":"Ivziku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Professions, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sergio","family":"Machado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Psychiatry-IPUB, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 22290-140, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7963-5281","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Sancassiani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Monserrato Blocco I (CA), 09042 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-6335-003X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diego","family":"Primavera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Monserrato Blocco I (CA), 09042 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroscience.2015.05.053","article-title":"Pathogenesis of Depression: Insights from Human and Rodent Studies","volume":"321","author":"Hodes","year":"2016","journal-title":"Neuroscience"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators (2020). 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