Depression of Married and Employed Women Based on Social-Role Theory

Insook Cho; Sukhee Ahn; Souk Young Kim; Young Sook Park; Hae Won Kim; Sun Ok Lee; Sook Hee Lee; Chae Weon Chung

doi:10.4040/jkan.2012.42.4.496

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Cho, Ahn, Kim, Park, Kim, Lee, Lee, and Chung: Depression of Married and Employed Women Based on Social-Role Theory

Original Article

J Korean Acad Nurs 2012;42(4):496-507.

Published online: 12 August 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2012.42.4.496

Depression of Married and Employed Women Based on Social-Role Theory

Insook Cho¹, Sukhee Ahn², Souk Young Kim³, Young Sook Park⁴, Hae Won Kim⁵, Sun Ok Lee⁶, Sook Hee Lee⁷, Chae Weon Chung⁴

¹Department of Nursing, Inha University, Incheon, Korea

²College of Nursing, Chungnam University, Daejeon, Korea

³College of Nursing, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea

⁴College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

⁵Department of Nursing, Kwandong University, Gangneung, Korea

⁶Department of Nursing, Silla University, Busan, Korea

⁷Department of Nursing, Seoyoung University, Gwangju, Korea

Address reprint requests to : Ahn, Sukhee College of Nursing, Chungnam University, 6 Munwha 1-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon 301-747, Korea Tel: +82-42-580-8324 Fax: +82-42-580-8309 E-mail: sukheeahn@cnu.ac.kr

Received 25 October 2011 Revised 4 November 2011 Accepted 18 July 2012

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This study was based on social-role theory, and purposes were to investigate (1) how depression and health determinants vary with married and employed women, and (2) what factors contribute to depression according to family cycle.

Methods

A stratified convenience sample of 765 married and employed women was recruited during May to August 2010. Study variables of depression, socio-demographic threatening factors, psycho-stimulating factors, and social-role related factors were measured via a structured questionnaire.

Results

Prevalence rate for depression was 18.6%, with highest rate (25.4%) from elementary laborers. Greater levels of depression were related to women’s occupation, higher life stress, and poorer health; lower social support and vulnerable personality; higher levels of social-role related stress. From multivariate analysis, women with preadolescents were the most vulnerable to depression affected by occupation, life stress, personality, and parenting stress. These factors (except for occupational class) combined with economic status, social support, and housework unfairness were significant for depression in women with adolescents.

Conclusion

Depression among married and employed women differs by psycho-stimulating and social role relevant factors in addition to occupational class and family life cycle. Female elementary laborers and women with children need to have the highest prioritization for community mental health programs.

Keywords: Depression, Women, Working, Family

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Figure 1.

Conceptual model of depression in married, employed, and childbearing women.

Figure 2.

Comparisons of depression score by occupational group and family life cycle.

Table 1.

Social Demographic Factors of Participants by Women's Occupational Group (N =765)

Variables	Professionals & office workers (n=284)	Service & sales workers (n=245)	Primary laborers’ (n=236)	F or χ²(p)
Variables	n (%) or M±SD	n (%) or M±SD	n (%) or M±SD	F or χ²(p)
Age (yr)	36.4±5.05	38.3±5.21	39.0±5.56	17.27 (< .001)
Educational level				189.43 (< .001)
High school or less	13 (4.6)	98 (41.5)	147 (60.0)
Diploma or bachelor or higher	270 (95.4)	138 (58.5)	98 (40.0)
Work type				6.47 (.039)
Full-time	270 (95.4)	211 (89.8)	223 (91.0)
Part-time	13 (4.6)	24 (10.2)	22 (9.0)
Economic status, self-rated			50 (20.4)	50.24 (< .001)
Very insufficient	19 (6.7)	47 (19.9)	167 (68.2)
Insufficient	171 (60.4)	138 (58.5)	28 (11.4)
Sufficient	93 (32.9)	51 (21.6)
Family life cycle				56.97 (< .001)
Couple family with no children	40 (14.1)	28 (11.9)	17 (6.9)
Family with preadolescents	161 (56.9)	86 (36.4)	81 (33.1)
Family with adolescents	82 (29.0)	122 (51.7)	147 (60.0)
Family history of depression				2.97 (.226)
Present	25 (8.8)	31 (13.2)	31 (12.7)
Absent	258 (91.2)	204 (86.8)	214 (87.3)
Alcohol consumption				10.44 (.005)
Yes	76 (26.9)	90 (38.3)	94 (38.4)
No	207 (73.1)	145 (61.7)	151 (61.6)
Smoking				2.30 (.291)^†
Smoker	4 (1.4)	7 (3.1)	8 (3.3)
Non-smoker	278 (98.6)	224 (96.9)	231 (96.7)
Exercise (at least 30 min/day)				4.57 (.102)
Never	224 (79.1)	167 (71.1)	186 (75.9)
Frequently	59 (20.9)	68 (28.9)	59 (24.1)
Weight control				1.73 (.422)
Tried	203 (71.7)	156 (66.3)	170 (69.4)
Never tried	80 (28.3)	79 (33.7)	75 (30.6)
Life stress, daily				6.33 (.387)
Very severe	16 (5.7)	15 (6.4)	10 (4.1)
Severe	70 (24.7)	46 (19.6)	45 (18.4)
Neutral	173 (61.1)	147 (62.5)	161 (65.7)
Mild or minimal	24 (8.5)	27 (11.5)	29 (11.8)
Health status, self-rated				10.18 (.038)
Poor	27 (9.5)	21 (8.9)	35 (14.3)
Neutral	179 (63.3)	146 (62.1)	164 (67.0)
Good	77 (27.2)	68 (29.0)	46 (18.7)

^† Fisher’s exact test.

Table 2.

Psycho-stimulating and Social-role relevant Factors and Depression by Women’s Occupational Group (N=765)

Variables	Professionals & office workers (n=284)	Service & sales workers (n=245)	Primary laborers’ (n=236)	F or χ²(p)
Variables	n (%) or M±SD	n (%) or M±SD	n (%) or M±SD	F or χ²(p)
Social support	40.16±6.47^a	37.07±7.47^b	36.35±6.89^b	22.82 (< .001)
Vulnerable personality	22.12±3.61	22.03±4.00	22.39±4.07	0.57 (.568)
Occupational stress	49.09±10.56^a	49.92±11.48^a	55.77±10.48^b	28.56 (< .001)
Parenting stress	89.68±15.75^a	89.67±16.50^a	93.17±17.24^b	3.45 (.032)
Sharing housework				11.56 (.021)
Very unfair	12 (4.24)	22 (9.32)	28 (11.43)
Unfair	130 (45.94)	90 (38.14)	96 (39.18)
Fair	141 (49.82)	124 (52.54)	121 (49.39)
Depression	9.92±7.80	12.09±9.99	13.31±10.14	9.09 (< .001)

^a,b Duncan's multiple comparisons.

Table 3.

Psycho - stimulating and Social - role Related Factors and Depression by Women’s Family Life Cycle (N=765)

Variables	Couple women with no children (n=85)	Women with preadolescents (n=328)	Women with adolescents (n=352)	F or χ ² (p)
Variables	n (%) or M± SD	n (%) or M ±SD	n (%) or M ± SD	F or χ ² (p)
Social support	38.74±7.27	38.63±6.76^a	37.19±7.35^b	4.04 (.018)
Vulnerable of personality	22.05±3.71	22.53±3.89	21.89±3.90	2.40 (.091)
Occupational stress	48.64±12.33^a	51.40±10.78^b	52.25±11.25^b	3.59 (.028)
Parenting stress	−	91.00±16.61	90.58±16.58	0.11 (.741)
Sharing housework				5.62 (.192)
Very unfair	2 (2.35)	27 (8.23)	33 (9.40)
Unfair	37 (43.53)	142 (43.29)	137 (39.03)
Fair	46 (54.12)	159 (48.48)	181 (51.57)
Depression	10.12±7.37	12.24±9.43	11.53±9.75	1.85 (.158)

^a,b Scheffe´’s pairwise or Duncan’s multiple comparison.

Table 4.

Predictors of Depression in Women’s Family Cycle (N=765)

Variable	Couple women with no children (n=85)			Women with preadolescents (n=328)			Women with adolescents (n=352)
Variable	Coefficient (p)	OR	95% CI	Coefficient (p)	OR	95% CI	Coefficient (p)	OR	95% CI
Occupational group
Service & sales workers	1.75 (.122)	5.73	0.63-52.24	1.12 (.033)	3.05	1.10-8.49	0.97 (.090)	2.64	0.86-8.14
Primary laborers	1.90 (.182)	6.67	0.41-107.94	1.05 (.037)	2.86	1.07-7.68	0.37 (.522)	1.45	0.47-4.50
Economic status, self-rated
Very insufficient	−0.70 (.609)	0.50	0.04-7.16	1.45 (.054)	4.28	0.98-18.80	1.70 (.038)	5.49	1.10-27.41
Insufficient	−0.92 (.377)	0.40	0.05-3.05	0.69 (.282)	1.99	0.57-6.96	1.60 (.029)	4.98	1.18-21.02
Family history of depression	1.79 (.090)	6.00	0.76-47.48	0.07 (.896)	1.08	0.35-3.28	0.10 (.317)	1.75	0.59-5.19
Alcohol user	1.39 (.186)	4.00	0.51-31.10	0.91 (.089)	2.47	0.87-7.02	0.20 (.095)	2.12	0.88-5.12
Smoker	−	−	−	0.00 (.990)	1.00	0.14-7.14	0.07 (.441)	2.05	0.33-12.66
Weight control tried	−1.21 (.298)	0.30	0.03-2.91	0.45 (.368)	1.58	0.59-4.23	−0.06 (.619)	0.80	0.34-1.92
Exercise, regular	1.53 (.135)	4.61	0.62-34.23	0.50 (.358)	1.65	0.57-4.75	−0.18 (.137)	0.49	0.19-1.26
Life stress, daily
Very severe	−	−	−	1.31 (.136)	3.71	0.66-20.80	3.84 (< .001)	46.49	7.14-302.71
Severe	1.64 (.075)	5.18	0.85-31.77	0.95 (.026)	2.60	1.12-6.02	0.71 (.107)	2.04	0.86-4.86
Health status, self-rated
Poor	−1.32 (.321)	0.27	0.02-3.63	0.57 (.309)	1.77	0.59-5.32	0.23 (.710)	1.26	0.37-4.25
Good	−1.96 (.115)	0.14	0.01-1.61	0.12 (.832)	1.12	0.38-3.30	−1.11 (.072)	0.33	0.10-1.10
Social support, unit 10	−0.04 (.523)	0.65	0.84-1.09	−0.03 (.450)	0.74	0.90-1.05	−0.28 (.031)	0.50	0.88-0.99
Vulnerable personality, unit 5	0.09 (.470)	1.09	0.86-1.39	0.24 (< .001)	3.31	1.12-1.45	0.60 (< .001)	4.03	1.16-1.50
Occupational stress, unit 10	0.06 (.307)	1.81	0.95-1.19	0.04 (.134)	1.52	0.99-1.10	−0.02 (.915)	0.97	0.93-1.06
Parenting stress, unit 10	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.04 (.005)	1.56	1.01-1.08	0.59 (< .001)	1.91	1.03-1.10
Sharing housework
Very unfair	−	−	−	−0.28 (.721)	0.76	0.16-3.53	−1.28 (.069)	0.28	0.07-1.10
Unfair	1.33(.133)	3.79	0.67-21.53	0.77(.072)	2.16	0.94-4.98	−1.18(.008)	0.31	0.13-0.73

OR=Odd ratio; CI=Confidence interval.

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