(Kendler et al., 1999). Other studies examining sex differences in sensitivity to the depressogenic effects of SLE found that women were more likely than men to become depressed over events related to their immediate social network (e.g., problem getting along, termination of romantic relationships; Kendler et al., 2001; Kessler and McLeod, 1984). It has been suggested that women’s greater investments in social relationships make them more emotionally vulnerable to the impact of network events, which are more likely to be considered dependent events. To the extent that participants perceive events as dependent on their behavior, it is possible that women’s stronger internalizing tendencies lead them to take responsibility for the occurrence of negative events within their control, which in turn triggers negative affective consequences (e.g., guilt, depression) and drinking to alleviate negative mood. Supporting the notion that women are more likely to cope with negative mood by drinking, Prescott and colleagues (2004) found that higher scores on a measure of drinking alcohol to manage negative affect were more strongly associated with risk of having a DSM-IV lifetime diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence among women than men.
