A multi-cohort consortium for GEnder-Sensitive Analyses of mental health trajectories and implications for prevention (GESA) in the general population in Germany
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Burghardt, Juliane
Tibubos, Ana Nanette
Otten, Danielle
Brähler, Elmar
Binder, Harald
Grabe, Hans
Kruse, Johannes
Ladwig, Karl Heinz
Schomerus, Georg
Wild, Philipp S.
Editors
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Abstract
Introduction Mental health is marked by gender
differences. We formed a multi-cohort
consortium to
perform GEnder-Sensitive
Analyses of mental health
trajectories and study their implications for prevention
(GESA). GESA aims at (1) identifying gender differences
regarding symptoms and trajectories of mental health over
the lifespan; (2) determining gender differences regarding
the prevalence, impact of risk and protective factors;
and (3) determining effects of mental health on primary
and secondary outcomes (eg, quality of life, healthcare
behaviour and utilisation).
Methods and analysis We plan to perform secondary
analyses on three major, ongoing, population-based,
longitudinal cohorts (Gutenberg Health-Study
(GHS),
Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP), Cooperative Health
Research in the Augsburg Region (KORA)) with data on
mental and somatic symptoms, medical assessments and
diagnoses in north-east,
middle and southern Germany
(n>40 000). Meta-analytic
techniques (using DataSHIELD
framework) will be used to combine aggregated data from
these cohorts. This process will inform about heterogeneity
of effects. Longitudinal regression models will estimate
sex-specific
trajectories and effects of risk and protective
factors and secondary outcomes.
Ethics and dissemination The cohorts were approved
by the ethics committees of the Statutory Physician Board
of Rhineland-Palatinate
(837.020.07; GHS), the University
of Greifswald (BB 39/08; SHIP) and the Bavarian Chamber
of Physicians (06068; KORA). Together with stakeholders
in medical care and medical training, findings will be
translated and disseminated into gender-sensitive
health
promotion and prevention.