The 'sex-specific effect:' Evaluating analytical approaches to sex-dependence in the behavioral and brain sciences

Abstract

Detecting a sex difference in response to a treatment or intervention, often reported as a "sex-specific effect," requires statistical comparison of the response across sex. Here, we investigated analytical approaches used to test for such effects in the behavioral and brain sciences. Of 200 recent articles containing terms such as sex-specific or gender-dependent in their titles, only 24% presented appropriate evidence supporting the claim: the effect was compared statistically across sex and results consistent with the claim were reported. In most articles (58%), no test was conducted that could have supported the title claim. Only 15% of studies on non-human animals supported the claim with appropriate evidence, which was significantly less frequently than studies on human participants (34%; p = 0.002). The use of appropriate analytical approaches was unrelated to journal rank or the citation impact of the article. We conclude that claims of sex/gender-dependent effects in the behavioral and brain sciences are only infrequently supported by appropriate evidence.