Objective: Identifying persons needing mental health services is hampered by stigma-related underreporting of symptoms, especially by men. Men with Parkinson's disease (PD) consistently report lower rates of depression than women in in-person studies. We predicted that online anonymity would elicit more gender-based parity in depression endorsement.
Method: We administered the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) online to 344 participants with PD (52% women). Depression was defined as BDI-II score >13 and/or use of antidepressant medications.
Results: Overall depression prevalence was consistent with in-person studies, but with no significant difference between men and women.
Conclusions: Online methods may circumvent barriers to depression identification in men with PD.
Keywords: Depression; Men; Online; Parkinson’s disease; Telehealth.
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