Negative affectivity and enhanced symptom reports: Differentiating between symptoms in men and women

Next, based on the data of 1017 university students (858 women), correlations of each individual symptom with NA were calculated for each gender. The pattern of correlation was highly variable and differed in important ways for men and women. Whereas the correlation of an individual symptom with NA could be predicted by both symptom factors in women (R2=52%), only the somatic versus psychic factor was a significant predictor in men (R2=11%). These results suggest that (1) NA should not be considered a general complaining factor, and (2) important gender differences exist regarding the type of symptoms that relate most strongly to NA.