One in four teenage girls experiences low mood, twice as many as male counterparts

Low mood is twice as likely among teenage girls than boys in central Catalonia, researchers from the Open University of Catalonia, the University of Vic, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona have found.

Their findings, which were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, show that 25.1% of teenage girls experience low mood compared to 11.6% of teenage boys, and therefore "there are gender differences in the factors associated with low mood."

The cross-sectional study of slightly over 6,400 12- to 18-year-olds from the region took place during the 2019-2020 academic year, with researchers discovering an overall low mood prevalence of 18.6% but noting that it was "statistically significant differences between genders."

"Being an immigrant, dieting, and daily tobacco smoking were only associated with low mood in girls, whereas risky alcohol consumption was only associated [with it] in boys," the article reads.

Over a third of low mood problems in teen girls – 36.2% – were attributed to sexual violence.

The researchers conclude by "highlighting the importance of developing gender-specific interventions" to address low mood in teens.