Research article summary (published 30 Jan 1990):

Motherhood, employment and the development of depression. A replication of a finding?

Full Abstract

A prospective inquiry of a largely working-class sample of women with children considers the effect of employment on risk of developing clinical depression. The hypothesis was that there would be a direct protective effect arising from employment once quality of other support was taken into account. In fact full-time working mothers were at high risk. This appeared to be explained by either prior work strain or a severe event involving 'deviant' behaviour on the part of husband/boyfriend or child. Neither factor was relevant for part-time workers. The severe events appeared to be particularly depressogenic for full-time workers because they represented either failure in the motherhood role or a sense of entrapment in an unrewarding work/domestic situation. However, those in part-time work had a low rate of onset compared with non-workers, and the difference appears to be related to non-working women feeling less secure about their marriages.

Author information

Author/s: Brown, G W (GW); Bifulco, A (A);

Affiliation: Department of Social Policy and Social Science, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science (Br J Psychiatry), published in ENGLAND. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1990-Feb; vol 156 (issue ) : pp 169-79

Dates: Created 1990/05/09; Completed 1990/05/09; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 2317621, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Adult Depressive Disorder - etiology Employment - psychology Female Humans

Marriage - psychology Middle Aged Mothers - psychology Risk Self Concept Single Parent - psychology

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