Housework, paid work and psychiatric symptoms

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the hypothesis that work burden, the simultaneous engagement in paid work and unpaid family housework, is a potential risk factor for psychiatric symptoms among women. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out with 460 women randomly selected from a poor area of the city of Salvador, Brazil. Women between 18 to 70 years old, who reported having a paid occupation or were involved in unpaid domestic activities for their families, were eligible. Work burden-related variables were defined as: a) double work shift, i.e., simultaneous engagement in a paid job plus unpaid housework; and b) daily working time. Psychiatric symptoms were collected through a validated questionnaire, the QMPA. Results Positive, statistically significant associations between high (>7 symptoms) QMPA scores and either double work shift (prevalence ratio -PR=2.04, 95% confidence interval -CI: 1.16, 2.29) or more than 10 hours of daily work time (PR=2.29, 95% CI: 1.96, 3.43) were found after adjustment for age, marital status and number of pre-school children. Conclusions Major correlates of high QMPA scores are work burden variables. Being married or having pre-school children are also associated with high QMPA scores only when associated with work burden. Resumo Objetivo

The socio-economic determinants of older people's health in Brazil: the importance of marital status and income

“…Other explanations for the worse health status of married women can be advanced, although the present study cannot directly assess their importance. One important factor is the time and emotional commitments of married life and whether these demands have a negative affect on health (Santana, Loomis and Newman 2001). In a Brazilian study of the main care-givers of people who had recently suffered their first stroke and who had returned to their families with some ADL dependency, Karsch (2003) found that most care-givers were from the household (98 %) and were women (93 %) -and that among the women, 44 per cent were spouses and 31 per cent daughters.…”

Empleo, condiciones de trabajo y salud

“…Las empresas ilegales pequeñas, comunes en la economía informal, operan con procesos rudimentarios que pueden contribuir a una ocurrencia mayor de lesiones y enfermedades, y a aumentar el deterioro del medio ambiente (20). En contraste, en estudios de base comunitaria, en Brasil, no se encontraron diferencias en la incidencia de lesiones no fatales al comparar trabajadores informales con formales (21). Es posible que, en los países en desarrollo, la poca regulación laboral, las deficiencias en el acceso al sistema de salud laboral y la falta de programas preventivos eficientes para los trabajadores de la economía formal reduzcan las diferencias esperadas de morbilidad.…”

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Gênero e saúde: perfil e tendências da produção científica no Brasil

“…The relationship between gender and work has been explored throughout the study period but production has been scarce and centered in two institutions: Fiocruz, [16][17][18]78 and UFBA, through its two research groups -Programa de Estudos em Gênero e Saúde (MUSAGender and Health Studies Program) 6,9 and Programa de Investigação sobre a Saúde do Trabalhador (PISATProgram of Environmental and Worker's Health) 80,81 in the Instituto de Saúde Coletiva. On this theme, some epidemiological studies exploring the link between gender and health stand out, as does an update on breastfeeding from female workers' perspective.…”