Depression and Quality of Life for Women in Single-parent and Nuclear Families

• Published in: The Spanish journal of psychology Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 171 - 183
• Main Authors: Hernández, René Landero, Aranda, Benito Estrada, Ramírez, Mónica Teresa González
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.05.2009; Complutense University of Madrid, Faculty of Psychology
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Comparative analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Family Characteristics; Female; Health Status; Humans; Income; Income - statistics & numerical data; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Nuclear Family; One-parent families; Parenthood; Personality Inventory; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Quality of Life; Severity of Illness Index; Single Parent - psychology; Single-Parent Family; Social Support; Surveys and Questionnaires; Women; Women - psychology; Central America; Mexico; America; income; bi-parental; ingreso; nucleares; depresión; depression; monoparentales; quality of life; single-parent; mujeres; women; calidad de vida; Social environment; Mood disorder; Human; One parent family; Family environment; Depression; Woman; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1138-7416; 1988-2904
• DOI: 10.1017/S113874160000158X

This is a cross-sectional study which objectives are 1) to determine the predictors for perceived quality of life and 2) to analyze the differences between women from single-parent families and bi-parent families, about their quality of life, depression and familiar income. We worked with a non-probabilistic sample of 140 women from Monterrey, N.L, Mexico, 107 are from bi-parent families and 33 from single parent families. Some of the results show that women from single-parent families have lower quality of life (Z = −2.224, p = .026), lower income (Z = −2.727, p = .006) and greater depression (Z = −6.143, p = .001) than women from bi-parental families. The perceived quality of life's predictors, using a multiple regression model (n = 140) were depression, income and number of children, those variables explaining 25.4% of variance. El presente estudio es transversal y sus objetivos son determinar las variables predictoras de la calidad de vida percibida y analizar las diferencias entre las mujeres de familias monoparentales y las de familias nucleares, respecto a su calidad de vida percibida, depresión e ingreso familiar. La muestra no probabilística fue de 140 mujeres del área metropolitana de Monterrey, N. L., México, de ellas 107 pertenecen a familias biparentales (nucleares) y 33 a monoparentales. Algunos de los resultados encontrados fueron que las mujeres de familias monoparentales tienen un menor puntaje en calidad de vida que las mujeres de familias nucleares (Z = −2.224, p = .026), un menor ingreso (Z = −2.727, p = .006) y mayor depresión (Z = −6.143, p =.001). Las variables predictoras de la calidad de vida en el modelo de regresión múltiple con la muestra general (n = 140) fueron la depresión, el ingreso y el número de hijos, explicando el 25.4% de la varianza.