Mental Health, Work, and Gender

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Dennerstein

Women have significantly higher prevalence rates than men for many mental disorders, particularly affective disorders. Married women are more at risk for mental ill-health than single women or married men. The detrimental effects of marriage on mental health appear to relate to the contexts of role performances and the reduction in opportunities in paid employment. This review examines the influence of women's paid and unpaid domestic work and roles on mental health. Many studies show positive effects of paid employment on mental health, and multiple roles have been found to have beneficial rather than adverse effects on mental health. However, husbands' negative attitudes to women's paid employment, with resultant marital conflict, and husbands' lack of participation in child care may erode these potential beneficial effects.

Author(s):  
Hyeon Jean Yoo ◽  
David T. Marshall

Graduate student parents are a unique subpopulation in higher education that accounts for a large proportion of graduate students. While student parents struggle to balance multiple roles, female students in STEM fields may face more significant barriers in balancing family and academic responsibilities compared to male graduate student parents or female students in non-STEM fields. Despite the urgent need to support this special population, little attention has been paid to how parental status, major, and gender affect graduate students. In this quantitative study of 545 graduate students, we examined the influence of parental status, major, and gender on motivation, stress, and satisfaction. A series of factorial ANOVAs found significant differences in motivation and mental health between graduate student parents and non-parents. Our findings highlight the importance of providing adequate resources to graduate students according to their status.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1133-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Stephan ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Jingjing Qu

PurposePast research on self-employment and health yielded conflicting findings. Integrating predictions from the Stressor-Strain Outcome model, research on challenge stressors and allostatic load, we predict that physical and mental health are affected by self-employment in distinct ways which play out over different time horizons. We also test whether the health impacts of self-employment are due to enhanced stress (work-related strain) and differ for man and women.Design/methodology/approachWe apply non-parametric propensity score matching in combination with a difference-in-difference approach and longitudinal cohort data to examine self-selection and the causal relationship between self-employment and health. We focus on those that transit into self-employment from paid employment (opportunity self-employment) and analyze strain and health over four years relative to individuals in paid employment.FindingsThose with poorer mental health are more likely to self-select into self-employment. After entering self-employment, individuals experience a short-term uplift in mental health due to lower work-related strain, especially for self-employed men. In the longer-term (four years) the mental health of the self-employed drops back to pre-self-employment levels. We find no effect of self-employment on physical health.Practical implicationsOur research helps to understand the nonpecuniary benefits of self-employment and suggests that we should not advocate self-employment as a “healthy” career.Originality/valueThis article advances research on self-employment and health. Grounded in stress theories it offers new insights relating to self-selection, the temporality of effects, the mediating role of work-related strain, and gender that collectively help to explain why past research yielded conflicting findings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunita Jena ◽  
Krushna Chandra Sahoo ◽  
Mousumi Samal ◽  
P. Kripalini ◽  
Chandni Shrivastava ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mental health is a global concern due to its hasty escalation. The shifting social dynamics in rural India intensify care-seeking behaviors, which means immediate action is required. Mental illness, however, is seen as a neglected disorder. This study examined the attitude of rural people towards mental health care in rural Odisha, India. An explanatory mixed-method study was conducted among 395 participants age between 18 to 65 years in two rural blocks of Khurdha district, Odisha. A total of 16 in-depth interviews were conducted among the caretakers of the patients. Results The educational level, religion, age, and gender (p < 0.05) had significantly associated with attitudes towards mental healthcare facilities; female having lower-education had more negative attitudes towards mental healthcare facilities. The major barriers for the mental healthcare were the rejection of mental illness by patients due to fear of societal stigma, faith on religious healers, and lack of availability of mental health services. Conclusions Perspective of people should be considered along with their location, gender, and education when strategizing the psychiatric healthcare system as their perception/attitude serves as facilitators/barriers for achieving mental healthcare goals and psychiatric hospital goals.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Cramer ◽  
Martha Shumway ◽  
Amanda M. Amacker ◽  
Dale E. McNiel ◽  
Sarah Holley ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elayne Zhou ◽  
Yena Kyeong ◽  
Cecilia Cheung ◽  
Kalina Michalska;Michalska

The current study examined the influence of cultural values on mental health attitudes and help-seeking behaviors in college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Latinx college students (N = 159) completed an online survey in which they reported their adherence to cultural values and general attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behavior. Factor analysis revealed two common factors of cultural values irrespective of ethnic background: Interdependent Orientation (IO) and Cultural Obligation (CO). Regardless of ethnicity, the more students endorsed IO values, the less likely they were to perceive a need for mental health treatment. IO value adherence also predicted more negative attitudes towards mental health. CO values were not predictive of perceived need or help-seeking behaviors. Findings highlight the importance of assessing certain cultural values independently from ethnicity and considering how the multidimensionality of culture may help explain shared mental health behaviors across ethnic group membership.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeedeh Fehresti ◽  
Elham Monaghesh

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the elderly's physical and mental health. The application of information and communication technology, such as mobile health (m-health), can play a significant role in combating this pandemic by changing the behavior and lifestyle of the elderly during this time of crisis. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aimed to synthesize m-health capabilities in providing health services to the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify the factors associated with the success of these tools. METHODS To find the relevant studies, a search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria were: studies in English that used m-health intervention in all aspects of elderly healthcare during the COVID-19 outbreak, published in peer-reviewed journals from 31 December 2019, and had any research design and methodology. Two authors independently took all the steps of this review, and finally performed narrative synthesis to report the findings. RESULTS Our initial search identified 421 studies, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. The data analysis showed that all the m-health interventions had positive effects on the health of the elderly. The m-health services for the elderly during the current pandemic were used for therapy, information provision, self-help, monitoring, and mental health consultation purposes. The results also indicated that various factors affected the elderly's use of m-health tools. CONCLUSIONS The application of m-health keeps the elderly and healthcare providers safe, accelerates health service provision, reduces the costs of service delivery, and decreases the risk of morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak. The successful use of m-health tools for the elderly in health programs during the current crisis greatly depends on supporting the elderly and overcoming the barriers.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document