Sex Differences in Objective and Projective Dependency Tests: A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

A meta-analysis of all studies published since 1950 wherein sex differences in subjects' scores on objective and/or projective dependency tests were assessed (N of studies = 97) revealed that (a) women of all ages consistently obtain higher dependency scores than do men on objective dependency tests; and (b) adult men obtain slightly higher scores than do adult women on projective dependency tests, but this sex difference is not obtained in younger (i.e., child and adolescent) subjects. Subsidiary analyses examined the impact of various mediating variables (e.g., clinical vs. nonclinical status of subjects) on observed sex differences in objective and projective dependency scores. Findings are discussed in the context of research on sex role socialization and dependency and within the framework of recent theoretical models that distinguish "implicit" from "self-attributed" dependency needs.